Fifteen Minutes of Fame
by SplishySplash
Summary: Mentally she cursed as the cold caught up to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface."
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoilers:** Everything is free game, mentions season 7

**Summary:** Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface. Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

**Chapter One: Line of Duty**

They stood at the end of Harlow Pier over an angry sea talking to a witness. The old, weather warn man was on the pier with a fishing pole resting on the water was wise beyond what credit Tony gave him credit for and gained a few elbows from his partner allow the man to talk.

"Do you always fish when the weather is like this?" Asked Tony in the middle of their questioning, he reminded Tony of one of those tuna fisherman with the bright yellow raincoat and matching bucket hat, he was missing the pipe.

He was greeted by a toothless smile as the thunder spoke over him. "There is nobody with a pole in the water and the fish are starving." He explained. "It's fishing at its prime, Agent DiNozzo."

Ziva only rolled her eyes and reached into her pocket for a business card. "If you can think of anything else, please give us a call." She said, brushing her windswept hair away from her face and she placed it into his calloused hand as a woman's scream resonated from behind them.

They turned to see a stroller had gotten caught in the wind and was headed towards a gap in the side of the pier. The woman tried to run after it, but she couldn't keep up and they both took off towards it as Ziva pulled off her jacket and threw it on the boardwalk.

Next to end up on the boardwalk was her gun as the small cry was carried in the wind and the carriage went over the side towards the sea. Ziva pushed in front of Tony and dove into the water.

The water was cold and murky the only thing that gave any clue to where the carriage ended up was the stream of bubbles coming up. She pushed farther and her hand brushed against the handle, her hand grabbed it and she reached for the pink clad bundle, but it was caught.

Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface. The waves had gotten more violent, or at least it felt that way as she held the baby's face above the water.

"ZIVA!" Cried Tony, he was on the lower fisherman's pier. She kicked as hard as she could, fighting the current and struggling to keep the baby's head above the water to get to him as he chanted her name over and over again, but he wasn't alone the yellow fisherman was next to him. It grew frantic when a wave swallowed her and the infant, Tony was about to jump in when her head appeared amongst the waves again.

It took what seemed like eternity for her to kick towards the dock as the waves grew stronger, but as soon as she was in arms length Tony grabbed her and lifted her out of the water onto the deck. He pulled the infant from her and handed it to the fisherman before he quickly turned his attention to his partner, quickly he wrapped his jacket around her as he released the worried breath he was holding. "You are crazy, Ziva."

"Baby?" She asked with a cough and rolling her head in the direction of the baby.

Tony turned to see the fisherman place the infant on the dock and he shared a look with Tony. "It's not breathing." He fell to his knees as the fisherman moved out of his way and pressed his ear near its mouth, nothing came from its mouth so he did the next logical thing, put oxygen into its lungs.

Ziva was by his side, pressing her fingers into the arm to find that there was no pulse. With her fingers she pressed on the chest, she pushed the oxygen through its small body. They repeated the motions until sirens were heard in the background and the small infant coughed up water.

It wasn't long until they pushed away by paramedics, the space grew smaller and it forced them to climb the ladder to the pier where she was surrounded by more paramedics. "I'm fine." She said as she was forced to sit on a stretcher.

"Sir, please. . ." Said an impatient voice as Tony pushed his way through the crowd, to save someone from being punched out.

"Let me calm her down first and then you can have at her." He said as his hand cupped her cold cheek, his touch was warm and tender as he looked for any injuries. She shivered slightly as he stepped back for the EMT's to take over and he turned to shake hands with the fisherman, to give her some privacy. "Thank you."

His toothless grin grew bigger. "All this excitement is going to give this old coot a heart attack." He said with a laugh, taking his hand in a strong shake.

He was approached by a police officer and he flashed his badge. "Special Agent DiNozzo, can we ask you some questions?" He asked officially and in his hands were Ziva's things, so Tony nodded, quickly answering the questions thrown at him about what happened before he was rewarded with Ziva's things that she discarded before jumping into the water.

The police officer nodded his thanks in exchanged for a business card before Tony wandered over to check on Ziva as she had freed herself from the paramedics, he smiled as he watched her pad over to him with a waddle, her wet jeans sticking to her legs under his large jacket. He bit back a chuckle as they stood toe to toe. "Are you okay?"

With a shiver she nodded her head. "Just cold." She said with a small smile through her blue lips. "And wet."

"Then let's go get you warmed up." He said proudly and pulling her close, pressing a kiss to her head. They looked ahead to see that they were surrounded by news reporters, flashes and screaming voices causing her to tense. Tony grew protective and she buried her face into his neck, allowing him to lead her to the car. He chanted again, this time it was 'no comment,' firmly and without answers until they reached the blue Charger. He opened the door for her and slammed it shut before he climbed in, leaving the reporters on the rainy pier.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing**: Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoiler**: All is free game

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface. "Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

**Chapter 2: National Heroes**

She stood under the spray of his shower when Gibbs called.

Tony opened his phone and pressed it to his ear as he navigated his kitchen, looking for something to warm her up. "DiNozzo, where the hell are you?" He greeted into his ear.

"I am at my apartment. . ." He answered, he mentally Gibbs slapped himself because the older man would have done it himself. Gibbs gave an angry sigh and Tony stood his ground. "We are on our way we just needed to make a pit stop."

"Thirty minutes, DiNozzo." Gibbs said and hung up the phone. It was his turn to sigh as he found a handheld can of soup in his cupboard, after checking the date and placing it into the microwave he heard Ziva turn the water off.

He walked down the hallway and tapped on the bathroom door. "Hey, Gibbs called." He said through the door.

"Oh?" She asked.

"Yeah, he expects us back in thirty minutes." Tony answered, he walked into his bedroom that had a second door to the bathroom and rifled through his drawers for the smallest clothes he could find. "I'm placing some clothes on the bed that you can use. . ." Which resulted in a pair of track pants, a long sleeved Ohio State shirt and hoodie that was placed, neatly folded onto his bed. He sighed as he thought about her feet, her boots were clearly ruined beyond repair and his feet were a lot bigger than hers as he went to his closet, hoping something would do and a pair of bright yellow flip flops rested among the army of shoes that he kept. They were a gift from a girlfriend or something and he had never worn them because they were too small, not small enough to fit Ziva, but they would have to do.

He closed his door to give her some privacy to change as the microwave dinged loudly and he made his way back to the kitchen, replacing the soup with a tumbler of hot chocolate which finished as she walked out of the room, swimming in his clothes. "Feel better?"

She nodded, taking the warm soup in her still cold hands. "Yes, thank you." She said simply with a reassuring smile.

"Good. I am going to put your things in the dryer and then we can leave." He said and she tried to follow him. "Sit down for a bit."

Her clothes were hanging almost neatly over the shower rod, they were wrinkled from her attempts to wring them out. He smiled as he gathered her underwear which was black, lacy and completely unpractical for the workplace and made a mental note to tease her about it later as he wrung them out again before placing them in the dryer. When he shut the door that hid the washer and dryer, she stood on the other side with a smile. "Does my underwear pass your requirements?" She asked with her eyes sparkling.

He choked, she was reading his mind. "They don't seem practical for work." He said, recovering slightly as he motioned for her to leave.

She shrugged, pulling the hoodie closer around her as he locked up his apartment. "I do not usually wear them for work." She said following him to the Charger, she walked awkwardly as she tried to keep her hands tucked inside the hooded sweatshirt and hold the pants up to keep her from tripping from the hems while coordinating her feet in the foam thongs. He tried to hold back a laugh, but gained a glare from her causing her to lose her concentration and trip.

The laugh escaped his lips and he gained a muttered threat that he assumed was painful, but the normally graceful Ziva was having a hard time forcing her big clothing to cooperate with her.

He opened the door for her and she climbed in without a word.

The ride to the Navy Yard was short and banter filled as they discussed her choice in underwear until they were silenced by a glare as soon as they stepped off the elevator. Gibbs sat patiently at his desk with his arms folded and McGee had the phone pressed to his ear.

"Hi Boss." Tony said, trying to diffuse the situation as he place his backpack on the floor next to his desk and Ziva stood in the middle, uncomfortable under his judging eyes.

Gibbs sighed, he wasn't mad, just frustrated by the situation because his phone has been ringing off the hook for twenty minutes. "Care to explain to us what happened this afternoon?" He asked. Ziva looked to Tony and took a deep breath, but didn't say anything as a video came up on the ZNN news.

The incident was filmed by a tourist and it followed as she and Tony took off after the stroller as Ziva stripped off the layers of clothing to her perfect dive into the Atlantic Ocean. It followed Tony and the fisherman as a voice behind the camera was on the phone with 911, to when Ziva popped up above the water with the infant in her hands.

"It looks unreal." Ziva whispered as Tony moved to stand next to her.

A police officer came onto the screen in a press conference. _"We are unable to find the mother of the infant, if you have any information on the identity of the woman please call Metro PD."_

A woman in the crowd spoke up on the screen. _"Do you have any information on the couple who rescued the infant?"_ She asked as it went to a clip of Tony turning his attention to her by wrapping his jacket around her to him pressing a proud kiss to the side of her wet head with his arms securely around her and Ziva paled.

The chief shook his head. _"We do, but we are not releasing that information just yet."_

The indignant cries from the reporters were cut off when McGee turned off the TV.

"You are the breaking news all over the country." McGee said from his desk. "You both are being hailed as national heroes."

Tony almost laughed. "I am not the hero, it's all her." He said proudly placing his hands on her shoulders. "She was crazy enough to dive off a pier into freezing water."

Ziva huffed and folded her arms. "Was I supposed to let the infant drown? And besides we are not heroes we are just doing our job." She said as the picture on the screen panned to a pixilated close up to them.

"You may think that, but my phone has been ringing off the hook for an hour." Said a voice from the top of the stairs, it was Leon Vance. "ZNN has called seven times, not to mention every magazine known to man wants a piece of the action."

"Are you serious?" Tony asked with his eyes twinkling before turning his attention to Ziva. "How did they ID us?"

Vance shifted his weight. "The man you were talking with on the pier sold you out to a ZNN reporter for a hundred bucks." He said crossly.

Ziva's glare was aimed at Tony. "I will break his arm." She growled turning to sit at her desk with an unceremonious thud.

"Hero breaks witness' arm for selling out, it will be the perfect turning point for the movie they are going to make about us."Tony tried to joke, but sobered up when she glared at him.

Ziva buried her face into her hands and sighed. She could feel every pairs of eyes were on her, trying to calm her nerves. "What happened to the infant's mother?" She asked after a moment, looking up at them.

Tony shrugged. "I don't remember what happened to her after you jumped into the water." He said, leaning against her desk. "But she wasn't around when the paramedics took the baby from us."

Vance and Gibbs shared a look. "Was it possible that this wasn't an accident?" He asked.

They shared a look. "I do not know." Ziva answered, the screams from the mother was almost haunting. Tony shrugged, he didn't remember the woman's face or anything like that and he had other things to worry about.

The elevator dinged and they turned to see the chief of the Metro Police Department that they recognized from the TV walking into the squad room. Leon moved to greet them with a smile on his face and extending his hand. "It's good to see you Jim." He said.

"I wish it was for better circumstances." He said returning the shake before looking around the room. "And you two must be the heroes."

Tony took his extended hand and Ziva was a bit more hesitant, but repeated the motion as Leon introduced him. "This is Jim Bond, Metro P.D. Chief."

Again Tony's eyes lit up. "Really?" He asked and the man nodded. "Awesome."

The man smiled as if he has heard the jokes before. "We have some questions to ask you about what happened today." He said officially before turning to the director. "Do you have somewhere we can talk?"

"Right this way."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoiler:** All is Game

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

**Chapter Three: Beatles Escape**

When they left the conference room almost an hour later, they didn't know anything more than when they entered. The baby was in stable condition at Washington General and the mother was nowhere to be found. The meeting left Ziva emotionally drained and wanting nothing more to curl up in her bed to sleep all of her anxiousness away, but with every round of questions from the policemen made her feel worse for the infant, who was now abandoned in a hospital.

Tony placed a hand on her shoulder as they entered the bullpen, he could sense her anxiety. She was normally a very private person and all this attention was getting to her, he had a feeling that it was only going to get worse until they find the woman.

Gibbs looked up and set the phone back down on the cradle. "Go home and get some rest." He said simply. "We are working with Metro to wrap this up and we have divers in the water to find the stroller. I am going to go find Abby."

They nodded and took their time to pack up their stuff. "Do you want a ride?" He asked as they walked to the elevator.

"That would be nice." She answered tiredly and tripping over the hem of the track pants. As they reached the parking garage, he opened her door before climbing into the driver's side and started the engine. They rode in silence until they reached the highway before she spoke again. "Do you mind making a stop?"

"Of course not." He said with a smile and this time he was reading her mind as he took the exit towards the hospital. The rest of the drive was in a comfortable silence save for the music that flowed through the speakers that she chose from his iPod, to fit her melancholy mood she chose the Beatles to fill the void.

_Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play/ Dear Prudence, great the brand new day/ The sun is up/The sky is blue/ It's beautiful and so are you/ Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play_

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I love this song." She said simply and he flashed her a smile.

"I like it also." He said as he pulled into the parking stall. Jim had given them instructions if they wanted to visit the child, who was being guarded by his people. "The Beatles are classics."

Her face lit up slightly. "They were my favorite when I was growing up." She said with a small smile as they walked into the hospital and to the elevators to the fifth floor. "It was such a sad day when John Lennon was shot."

He raised a brow trying to figure out the math. "You were what two years old?" He asked.

"Almost two, but it does not matter. He was my favorite Beatle." She said playfully as they made it to the guarded room and Tony flashed his badge, the officer smiled and allowed them entrance to the room.

The infant was lying inside the cot, moaning and kicking its legs. Ziva was first to step forward, the little bundle was dressed in pink with its eyes open and the card at its head read Jane Doe. She cried out softly as an elderly nurse came in with a bottle in her hand. "Oh, I am sorry." She said. "You must be the couple who saved her I am Miriam Coombs, her nurse for the evening."

"How is she doing?" Ziva asked, brushing her finger across the soft cheek and the baby's cries stifled for a moment at her touch.

"It's her supper time." The nurse said with a smile. "Would you like to feed her?"

Ziva's smile brightened as Tony stepped back to allow for more space. "Really?" She asked excitedly.

"Of course, it would actually be helping me out." The nurse said, motioning for her to sit in the rocking chair as she lifted the baby from its cot and handed it to her. The warm bottle was placed into her hand and Ziva placed it into her lips as the baby sucked on it greedily. "I will be right back, if you need anything just give us a holler."

Ziva nodded and turned her full attention to the baby. Tony walked over to crouch next to her and he inserted his much larger finger into tiny hand as his cell phone rang. He stood up and walked to the corner to answer it, but his attention was on the woman in the rocking chair and his mind began to wander. She looked like a new mother, with her tired eyes looking adoringly at the small infant and her frizzy hair pulled into a knot at the back of her head with her clothes baggy adding to the effect that she looked absolutely beautiful.

He answered the phone half heartedly, not paying attention to who was on the other end until he hung up the phone and made his way back to Ziva's side. "She sure is cute." Tony said.

Ziva nodded. "Who would do this to something that could not defend itself?" She asked, she mentally cursed herself for being tired and emotional.

"I don't know." Was all he could answer as the bottle was emptied and Ziva got up, grabbing a towel from the table and placing it on her shoulder before placing the baby against her shoulder, patting it on the back gently with ease.

The doctor came in, startling them. "Hi, I am Dr. Joey Chen." He said, extending his hand to Tony. "You must be Ms. David and Mr. DiNozzo I heard that you might stop by, you guys did a real good thing saving this little one."

Ziva flushed slightly as the baby fell asleep against her shoulder. "Is she going to be okay?" Tony asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, you see when they are this young they can hold their breath for a long time, something they picked up from the womb so no lasting damage to her brain development. . ."

"How old is she?" Ziva asked interrupting the doctor.

He sighed and his hand went to the back of his head. "About six weeks old." He said and looked down to his feet. "We will be monitoring her for awhile to make sure she doesn't get pneumonia or anything else, so you are more than welcomed to come visit her."

They both thanked the doctor before she placed the baby into the cot and covering her with the small blanket. His hand found the way to the small of her back as he led her from the room. "Are you okay?" He asked once they cleared the room.

"I am just tired." She said, pressing the button to the elevator.

"Then I will take you home, you've had a very exciting day." He said as they stepped inside.

She yawned. "No more than usual." She said and he laughed as they reached the lobby.

Once the doors opened, they were surrounded by flashes of lights and screaming reporters. Tony groaned and grabbed her hand, leading her through the yelling people.

"_Is it true that the mother abandoned the baby?"_

_ "Did you go to the pier because you thought something like this would happen?"_

"_Ms. David! What made you jump into the water?"_

_ "Why didn't you run after the mother?"_

"_Mr. DiNozzo, have you heard that Brad Pitt would like to play you in the movie?"_

Tony held her hand as tightly as he could and she struggled to keep up with him. The questions were being thrown at them at a hundred mile an hour and they kept getting more in depth.

"_How long have you two known each other?"_

"_How do you define your relationship?"_

When they finally made it to his mustang and got her inside followed by him jumping in the car with a slam to his precious door, he had to back up slowly to avoid hitting camera toting jockeys. It took him almost ten minutes and language that he would never use in front of his boss to get out of the parking lot.

Ziva sat with her elbow resting against the window, her face buried into her hand. "Now I know how the celebrities feel, this is a pain in the ass." He said.

"I am pretty sure that there is more news somewhere else that they could be covering." She said after a moment of silence and they were drowned out by the Beatles as she closed her eyes.

_Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away/Now it looks though it's here to say/ Oh I believe in yesterday_

When they arrived to her apartment, the parking lot was full and people were gathered by the entrance of her building and instead of turning he kept moving forward. Ziva opened her eyes and groaned. "Your place is going to be just as bad." She commented, she was to the point that she was going to hit someone soon.

"We aren't going to my apartment." He said as he took the familiar road towards a place that was safe from wandering paparazzi and questions, so she could clear her thoughts before dealing with it all in the morning.

It wasn't long until he pulled next to the old truck and they both got out, searching the area for cameras, but to their luck it was clear and they both took a deep breath as they took the path to the door. He raised his fist to knock on the door and it was followed by footsteps before the door opened. Gibbs stood on the other side of the door, wearing jeans and a t-shirt and he didn't look surprised that they were standing there. "Well come in."

"Thanks boss." Tony said, holding his hand forward for her to go first before he shut the door behind them. "There are paparazzi everywhere."

He led them into his kitchen. "Are you hungry? I am about to make dinner."He asked as they both took a seat at the kitchen table.

"I'm starved." Tony said and Ziva nodded politely. Gibbs began to navigate around his kitchen, deciding on some sort of chicken dish and throwing it on the counter. "Need some help, boss?"

"You can peel some potatoes." He said and Tony got up, taking the peeler from his boss and proceeded to peel the boiled purple skin from the potato as Gibbs opened the sliding glass door to grill the chicken. He started to whistle as he concentrated on not cutting his finger, the song of choice stuck with tonight's theme of the Beatles and he chose Come Together.

It transitioned to Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da when he was slapped upside the head by his boss who had finished grilling the chicken and he pointed to the woman at the table, whose head rested on the hardwood asleep. "She is exhausted."

"You think, Tony?" He asked as Tony finished mashing the potatoes. "She went swimming in the choppy waters of the Atlantic Ocean and has been dodging people with cameras all day. I think she deserves a good rest."

Tony grinned. "And she had to focus on not tripping over her pant legs while walking in flip flops." He said walking around the counter and brushing her hair behind her ear. He managed to pick her up with her head resting on his shoulder and he moved to take her into the sitting room, when Gibbs motioned for him to follow him up the stairs.

The bedroom was pink with flowers painted brightly on the wall, it was his daughter's room. Gibbs turned down the bed and Tony laid her gently between the sheets. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes. "Tony?" She asked.

"Get some sleep, I am downstairs if you need anything." He said with a soft smile and with a quick brush of her hair from his hand before turning to leave he shut the light off, pushing the door by before joining Gibbs in the kitchen. Gibbs had set the table and dished up his plate all that Tony had to do was sit down. "Woah this looks good."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoiler:** All is Game

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

**Chapter Four: Presidential Debates**

She woke up to a room flooded with light.

Ziva sat up with a start, looking around the room for any hint as to where she was. The room belonged to a little girl and she was surrounded by aging dolls and stuffed animals, she threw the covers off the bed when she realized that it must be late. Quickly she started to make the bed and as she picked up the comforter off the floor it revealed her shoes, cursing slightly when she saw nothing but her bright yellow flip flops, it wasn't all a dream. She did sleepover at Gibbs' house and Tony was probably down stairs on the couch asleep.

The door knob turned slowly and she searched for her gun, which wasn't anywhere in sight. Tony hadn't given it back and the door opened to reveal him standing there with a smile on his face. "Good morning." He said, closing the door behind him.

"What time is it?" She asked hoarsely and she mentally cursed herself, she was getting sick. Her hand went to her hair, which had to have been a knotted mess and free of its holder.

"Almost eight." He answered softly. "How are you feeling?"

She huffed impatiently as she finished making the bed and searching for the hair tie, to somewhat control the knotted mess that hung from her head. "I am fine." She said and he gave her a disbelieving look, before pulling the tie from his wrist and handing it to her. "Thank you. I sound worse than I feel."

"Alright." He said, still not believing her and he ushered her from the bedroom. "I am going to drive you to your place so you can get ready. . ."

Gibbs appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "I will take her to her apartment and you go to yours, get ready. Vance wants you in his office by 0930."

*~*

Usually when she was in the car alone with Gibbs it was full of awkward silence, but today was different. It was still silent, but her respect for him shifted in a positive direction, to something she couldn't explain and they didn't need to speak. He accepted her and Tony into his home without question, just as a father would and he was willing to push his way through the reporters.

He parked his truck and again they were greeted by yelling voices. She pushed her way through to the door, ignoring their questioning with Gibbs in tow.

Unlocking her apartment, he followed her inside and took a seat on the couch to allow her to get ready. She felt rushed as she searched her drawers for her practical panties, Gibbs wasn't usually a patient person, unlike Tony who would spend the time imagining her naked and she needed to hurry, before she was left alone to deal with the paparazzi. She found her favorite pair of boy cut panties and matching bra that was comfortable and supportive, before stripping from Tony's clothes. Almost instantly she missed his faint Armani smell, a mountain fragrant detergent and something that was distinctly Tony.

Her closet was her next stop and she threw it open. Her clothing selection had gone down since her last apartment had blown up and slowly she has been trying to replenish it, she chose the black slacks and a tight purple top with capped sleeves. She freed her hair from the pony tail and stepped into her bathroom, being in front of the camera for the last twelve hours made her more conscious about how she wanted her hair.

She quickly straightened her hair with a flat iron and looked at the clock next to her bed with a groan, she turned it off and trotted back to the closet for a pair of boots before making it into the living room to find Gibbs thumbing through a Hebrew magazine. When he heard her come in, he sat it back on the coffee table and sat up. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"Yes." She said with a nod and followed him from her apartment and back through the crowd of screaming reporters and photographers.

"_Who is this man?"_

_ "What happened to Anthony DiNozzo?"_

"_Where were you last night?"_

Gibbs started his truck and backed up, forcing some of the photographers to jump out of the way before he took off towards the Navy Yard in silence.

*~*

As soon as they reached the Navy Yard, she gave a sigh of relief and unless they had military clearance then she was free of flashing lights and the roar of questions. They took the elevator and exited on their floor to see Abby sitting at Tony's desk and Ducky standing at McGee.

"Ah there is our hero." Ducky said, pulling her into a hug and whispering something about how proud of her he is.

When she was freed from the Medical Examiner she was swept up in the arms of the Gothic Forensic Scientist. "Oh Ziva." Was all that she could say as she swayed on her feet and when she released her she had her bright smile on her face. "I have collected every publication that has said anything about you and Tony, I spent the majority of the morning picking them up." Gibbs shot her a warning look and she froze. "I am going to work on . . . forensic stuff, you know my job."

Ziva wasn't sure what to say and didn't have to say anything because Tony came in and the attention shifted to him, as she gave her high pitch squeal and jumped into his arms. Gibbs gave her shoulder a squeeze and went to sit at his desk, she let Tony absorb the attention and she took a seat at her desk.

She wasn't sitting for long, her phone rang and she answered it. It was Leon Vance requesting that they both join him in the office. With an exhaled breath she got to her feet, rubbing the wrinkles out of her purple top and pushed her chair back in. "Come on Tony, we are needed upstairs."

Tony nodded and set his bag on the ground before following her up the stairs. He took them slowly behind her to admire her look, like he had done a thousand times in the past, but this time was different and he wasn't sure why. "You are oogling again." She said, turning slyly to look at him.

"It's ogling." He corrected. "And I am not, I am simply admiring . . . your ass."

She stopped and pointed a finger into his chest. "You cannot lie to me." She said with a grin.

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Okay, I was trying to figure out what you are wearing under your pants," He said with a smirk, stepping closer to her, on the steps it made them the same height. "While admiring your ass."

Ziva laughed loudly and patted him on the cheek before leaning in to whisper. "You would never guess it in a long time." She said.

"It's a million years, Ziva." He said and then frowned. "It isn't granny panties is it?"

A throat from top of the stairs caught their attention, it was the director looking very annoyed and the man that stood next to him had a smirk on his face. It was President of the United States of America, Barak Obama. "Are you going to join us anytime soon?" Asked Vance, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice in front of the President of the United States and they nodded, slightly stunned as they followed them into the director's office.

Once inside the privacy of the office, they stood side by side and the president turned around to extend his hand to them. "Ziva David, Anthony DiNozzo I have heard good things about the both of you." He said officially, hiding the fact that he had heard Tony joke about granny panties.

"Sir, it's an honor to meet you." Tony said returning the shake.

Ziva smiled at his formality and took the presidents hand in her own. "It's a pleasure, Mr. President." She said with her voice firm, obviously she had met heads of state before.

Vance motioned for them to sit down and they shared the long couch whereas the director and president took the single chairs. The president rested his hands on his stomach and he leaned back in the chair comfortably with a welcoming smile. "The President called me last night and asked to meet with two of you after he heard about what happened with the infant. . ."

"What you did was well beyond the call of duty, because you risked your lives to save the baby and today she is alive because of the two of you." The President said, interrupting the director. "I would like to invite both of you for a formal dinner tonight at the White House there is a few people that would like to meet you."

They shared a look that said that they couldn't refuse an invitation from the big man himself. "That would be awesome." Tony said and Ziva rolled her eyes.

"It would be an honor." Ziva said with a small smile, inside the nervous flutter.

Obama smiled his bright smile and got to his feet, as did the rest of them. "That's great." The president said, extending his hand one more time to them and they excused themselves out of the office. "I will send someone to pick you both up at 1800."

They were both still in shock as they exited the office. "Man I like that guy." Tony said with a bright smile on his face, gaining the looks of McGee and Gibbs as they came into view. Ziva rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. "Guess who we just met, Probie?"

McGee frowned. "Let me guess, an actor who would like to play you in the movie?" He asked sarcastically.

Tony's face turned into a slight glare. "No, Barak Obama invited us to dinner at the White House." He said almost smugly and he took a seat at his computer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoiler:** All is Game

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

**Chapter Five: Lunch Time **

Come lunch time, Ziva's head was buzzing. Tony and McGee had left to catch their suspect from their original case, leaving her alone to work on the identity of the mother. Her concentration was long gone, with the President of the United States of America inviting her and Tony on a double date with his wife in a formal dinner at the White House, as Abby called it when Ziva went down to check on the evidence. It seemed Abby was more excited about their overnight celebrity status than Tony.

Her frustration came mostly from the lack of evidence on the mother, she spent the majority of the morning helping Abby comb through every clip of the rescue for a good view of the woman for a facial recognition program to search and also to see if the wind picked up the stroller or if it was pushed. Some news reports were stating that it was a case of post-partum depression or something to that effect. Her mind still wandered to the little pink, breathing bundle that she held yesterday and all that she could think about was seeing her again.

Maybe she could convince Abby to come with her.

The music turned down a little bit and Abby came close to her. "Are you okay?" She asked, placing a tender hand on her arm.

"I am just hungry." She lied, well not really. She couldn't remember the last thing she ate or when she ate it with all the excitement from the last few days.

A smile came to the scientists face. "Let's go get something, Major Mass Spec. is running the infants DNA and everything else is running at full capacity, it's going to take at least an hour." She said positively as she turned the music off and walked into her office, gathering her purse and keys. "What do you have in mind?"

As they headed to the elevator, she stopped and hesitated slightly. "Do you mind if we make a stop first?" She was almost shy.

"Of course."

*~*

Tony sighed as both he and McGee watched Gibbs interrogate the suspect, more or less sit silently reading the folder as the suspect babbled about his rights. Tony checked his watch and shifted his weight impatiently, forcing McGee to look at him.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked, turning from Gibbs to look at his friend.

"Did you see Ziva when we got back?"He asked in a rush, not taking his eyes off his boss.

McGee shook his head and frowned. "She was down with Abby all morning, they could have stepped out to get some lunch." He said. "Are you worried about her?"

Tony frowned. "No." He lied and then shook his head. "Yes, she isn't taking the hero status very well."

"You are worried that she will snap and kill a reporter?" McGee asked, they both shared a smile as they could imagine her killing somebody with their camera strap.

"Yeah." He said and sighed again.

The probie gave him the once over, he was still bothered by something. "That isn't everything that is bothering you is it?" He asked with a raised brow. Tony shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, McGee knew the man long enough to know that he always felt better when he talked about his problems. "Tony."

"Last night after we left here, she wanted to go visit the baby." Tony started quietly, McGee's brow shot higher and he immediately knew that he just went along as support. "The nurse walked in and asked if she wanted to feed her."

It was his turn to frown. "And that bothers you?"

"What? No, of course not." He exclaimed. "No. It's just that she seemed so natural with it, her hair was frizzy and she was dressed in my baggy clothes, she looked so beautiful holding that baby and . . ."

"And?" McGee pestered, he was genuinely curious and he was hoping that Tony had finally caught on to what they all saw, that he was in love with her.

"I wanted it to be my baby."

*~*

Abby held the baby close to her and cooed. "Who would ever want to hurt you?" She asked the small infant. "I am going to find who did this to you and make sure they pay because you are just so precious, not that all babies aren't precious. . ."

Ziva smiled as she held out her arms for the baby and Abby placed her into her arms. The baby gave its first real big smile and her heart warmed, she brushed her finger across her cheek as the baby yawned and slowly began to fall asleep. "She is precious."

Abby watched her for a moment before she frowned. Ziva was becoming attached to the infant and she could almost hear her biological clock ticking, she cleared her throat. "Maybe we should head back, they will start to wonder where you disappeared to."

She nodded slowly and placed the infant back in the cot. "We better stop and get something for them, they have probably been caged up in interrogation for awhile." She said with a smile.

*~*

"Your baby?" McGee asked after a stunned moment, Tony's hand went through his hair a second time and it stood in protest. "As in . . .?"

He shook his head negatively. "I wanted that." He said describing Ziva holding the infant, he was fumbling over words to describe what he felt and it was difficult. "I wanted her to be holding my baby that looked like both of us, you know a family?"

McGee's face fell into a smile and clasped his hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should tell her that, you never know she might be open to the idea." McGee said almost proudly. Before either of them could say anything, Gibbs had worked his magic on getting the suspect to cave in and they had finally closed that case.

*~*

It didn't take long for them to return with bags of food to a very grouchy Tony and McGee, whose face immediately brightened when Ziva came in baring food. Tony grabbed the bag from her hands and looked inside excitedly. "You really are a hero." McGee said, grabbing a sandwich from inside the bag.

Tony took a bite from his sandwich and gave a thumb up. "You are my hero." He said with his mouth full, she glared at him before reaching for hers.

He found it odd that she hadn't already ate, but let it go. Ziva moved to sit at her desk with a smile as she slowly ate her sandwich as she watched Tony and McGee banter about the best hero movie, McGee was partial to Spider Man and Tony to Bat Man, but the George Clooney one, but she stopped listening and allowing her attention to wander.

It wasn't until her name was called that she looked up. "Huh?" She asked, her inattentiveness caught them off guard. She was normally sharp and completely focused on her surroundings that they were convinced that she had bat like hearing.

"Are you okay?" Asked Tony softly, placing his hands on the desk and she slowly looked up at him.

"Yes, Tony." She answered with a reassuring smile.

His brow raised and it was like they were the only ones in the room. "You seemed like you were a thousand miles away." He said lowly.

"I was just. . ." She started and searched for the right idiom. ". . . just lost in my thoughts, yes?"

"Anything you care to share with the class?" He asked with a teasing smile.

She shook her head negatively. "It is not important." She said returning the smile as Gibbs came down the stairs, interrupting any chance Tony had to get into her mind.

"Shouldn't you two being heading out of here to get ready?" He asked sitting down at his desk and digging through his drawers.

They both shared a look and she looked at the clock on her computer, it was nearly 1400 and Gibbs was giving them an out for the rest of the afternoon. Ziva broke their connection when she turned to grab her things. "I will take you home." He said dejectedly and turned to gather his things.

She nodded and slowly they left leaving Abby, McGee and Gibbs in the bullpen watching them leave. Abby shifted her weight before turning to McGee and leaned into whisper. "I think we have a problem."

McGee nodded. "I know we do."


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoiler:** All is Game

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

**Chapter Six**

Tony escorted her through the paparazzi and the yelling questions.

"_What will happen to the infant?"_

"_Would you consider adopting her yourselves?"_

Tony walked her to the door with a smile with a promise to see her in a little while she gave him the sweetest smile when she realized that he was nervous. He watched her unlock the door before he turned to leave.

Ziva slowly entered her apartment after watching him walk down the stairs and sat her bag on the floor before sitting on the couch with a thud. Emotions were running rampant through her and she didn't understand why, she allowed herself to wallow for a moment and with a sigh she got up to get in the shower.

She took her time walking to the bathroom and turning the water on, she decided that she needed to take a bath to put her mind at ease before meeting the President for dinner. After placing the water stopper in its place and putting the necessities like bubbles and salts before taking her clothes off, placing them next to Tony's clothes on her bed before she dipped her toe into the hot water and she gasped before sliding in to the water completely.

Her tense muscles began to loosen up and the hint of lavender filled the small space. Her mind wandered to the baby, what would happen to her if nobody claims her?

Could she adopt her? She did decide that she was ready to settle down, but to what extent? Was the infant that she rescued worth her effort?

They had a lot in common when she thought about it. They were both abandoned by the people they shared their genetics and were both saved by people who cared enough to risk their lives to rescue them.

Ziva frowned, she never considered paternal DNA? Was there a man out there looking for his little princess or was he as careless as the mother?

Her thoughts ran rampant as she washed her hair and climbed out of the hot water to finished getting ready. As she wrapped the towel around her waist, her cell phone rang from its place in her bedroom. She rushed in the room to grab it and barely made it before it went to voice mail. "Agent David."

"My name is Samuel and I am from the presidential motorcade calling to confirm a pick up at 1800." The voice said officially.

"Yes." She nodded. "Thank you." She hung up the phone and looked at the alarm clock. The LED numbers betrayed her it was 1620 and she gave an annoyed groan as she plugged her arsenal of hair supplies in.

Back in her bedroom she threw open her closet and pulled out four of her dresses that was good enough to wear at the White House for dinner with the president and good enough to stand next to her partner, who was no doubt going to look amazing in whatever he chose. As she held each of them up, she rolled her eyes, since when does she care what Tony look liked or thought about what she wore?

Tony would be happy if she showed up in a paper bag if it showed enough of her legs.

That made her smile. She picked the periwinkle blue satin. The empire waist knee-high number was complimented by it's off the shoulder sleeves and it was perfect for the evening. She hung it up before returning to the bathroom to start of her hair.

When her hair began to cooperate with what she wanted, she went to put on her underwear and returned to the bathroom to put on her makeup, keeping it neutral before returning to put her dress on.

She struggled getting the zipper in its place, it was clear the dress designer did not think this through and it distracted her enough that she didn't hear the knock on her door until it was on her bedroom door. She jumped as she saw Tony in the doorway with a sly smile on his face. "Sorry, you didn't answer and I . . ." He said and her knees grew weak. He was wearing a grey suit and blue vest that clung to him in all the right places, his blue striped tie matched her dress. "Hey, we're twins and I think your ninja skills are on the fritz, because I was prepared to die to see you naked."

Ziva shook her head at his childishness and turned her back to him. "Since you are here, can you zip up my dress?" She asked and he was slightly surprised that she didn't break his fingers or even make a threat as she held her curled hair to the side as his much larger hand traveled up her back with the zipper and brushed the skin of her back as he hooked the top. "Thank you."

He smiled softly as he took the ties that rested right under her bust like and ran them through his hands tightly to untwist them before tying it tightly in her back. "No problem." He said huskily and she shivered in reaction, his smile grew wider and she missed it with her back to him. "Are you almost ready? Samuel is very impatient."

Her gaze traveled to her LED clock again at it read 1749. "He is early." She commented and picked up the reject dresses, placing them back into her closet and choosing a pair of strappy heels.

She led the way from her bedroom and sat down on the couch to put them on her feet, Tony watched momentarily stunned as her well manicured hand worked the straps around her ankles, but he was completely speechless when she stood to full height. The heels added a good three inches to her, but her legs seemed to go on for miles under the hem of her dress that hung to her curves tightly, he let out the breath he was holding as she looked up at him almost shyly. "Woah."

"Do I look okay?" She asked, it was very un-Ziva like to ask what he thought about her looks. She always looked beautiful without even trying, but if he had to guess it was the nerves from meeting the head of the country and his guests.

"Okay? You look beautiful." He said softly with his bright, charm smile.

*~*

The drive to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was full of laughter. First when they were greeted by Samuel, the driver, who didn't look to pleased to be just a little behind schedule. She was surprised that the paparazzi were absent, but realized that they were probably huddled around the White House gate.

Tony tried to explain the concept of being fashionably late to the driver, who inadvertently placed the divider between them. "What exactly did you do to upset him?" Ziva asked with a laugh.

He shrugged and noticed the rows of switches on the door handle, his fingers went to one of them and it rolled down the side windows, the next one was the sun roof and finally the divider. "I am not too sure." He said innocently.

She raised a brow. "It has nothing to do with these switches?" She asked.

"I think it was my choice in music." He said, fiddling with another switch and music started to play from the speakers, it was heavy metal music and it was completely un-Tony, but for the sake of annoying the driver it was completely him. He sang to the lyrics, more or less created a parody to the screaming lyrics and it calmed her nerves until they came to a stop at their destination.

When they stepped out of the limo, he offered his arm to her and they were greeted by a very tall White House official who introduced herself as Lindsey Williams, who had the biggest smile on her face. "Welcome to the White House." She said as they followed her through a lobby and a metal detector. As she led the way through the catacombs of hallways she talked about how much she had followed them, the Pier Heroes as the media had coined them. Tony rolled his eyes at Ziva and she elbowed him in the chest, only to hear someone clear their throat.

President Barack Obama stood by a set of double doors with a smile on his face. "Thank you Lindsey that will be all for now." He said and she nodded before turning back to Tony and Ziva with a smile then walking away. "Good evening, I hope your ride over was alright."

Tony took his proffered hand in a firm shake and nodded. "It was alright." He said and Ziva's smile grew wider.

"Excellent." The President said, turning to open the door.

A few guests turned out to be a few hundred guests that sat in one of the largest state rooms in the whole house. They walked in and the several hundred eyes were on them, all important people that they recognized from election campaigns, senators, or the TV. They were introduced by a voice coming from the speakers and they received a standing ovation.

Ziva's grip tensed on his arm, but the rest of her stayed focused. Tony glanced at Ziva, whose held was held high and her posture was straight and tall, she looked her normal confident self. He admired that in her, that she could bottle her nerves and keep moving forward while looking beautiful doing so.

As they neared the podium something caught his attention, or someone, a group of someones sitting in the first table near the front. Leroy Jethro Gibbs was sitting between Abigail Schiuto and Doctor Donald Mallard, Timothy McGee sat across from him between Director Leon Vance and Jimmy Palmer, and suddenly he felt nervous.

Ziva's hand left his arm and made its way into his large, sweaty hand. They reached the front and they both shook the hand of the first lady and vice president before they sat down. Ziva sat to the left of the first lady and Tony sat on the other side of her. The president stood up and the room fell quiet. "I would like to thank you all for joining us tonight in honoring two of America's heroes." He said, his voice carrying through the large room. "But before we do, let's eat."

The room was swarmed with waiting staff carrying trays of food to each person in the room. The food was as beautiful as the room, the first course was a salad that was full of color.

Tony looked down at the dishes and never had he had so many options for silverware and Ziva smiled at his confusion before leaning over to him. "Start from the outside and work your way inside." She said in a whisper. He looked over at her, he wasn't surprised. "I have gone to my share of these when I was young."

He nodded in understanding and she turned to talk with the first lady as he slowly ate the salad, it wasn't really his thing. Ziva laughed at something the woman said before running her attention back to Tony as the second course was served.

It was a very dressed up chicken and pasta.

"Quarter for your thoughts?" She asked he was being unusually quiet.

He smiled softly. "It's penny for your thoughts, but I will be more than willing to take quarters." He said and he leaned over to her to whisper in her ear. "The person two tables behind McGee, I can't tell if it is a man or a woman."

She looked over and practically snorted, gaining looks from the president and his wife and Ziva flushed a bright pink. "Michelle." The president said. "You know when I first met these two, they were discussing ladies underwear."

It was Tony's turn to laugh. "Actually sir, the term is granny panties." He corrected and the four shared a laugh as they finished eating the main course.

Tony and the president chatted idly over Ziva and his wife and he came to realize that the president was very down to earth. He leaned over Ziva excitedly as they discussed Ohio State's football season, which was Tony's favorite topic in the world until a man whispered into the president's and then he realized that he was practically laying on his partner, his arm was across lap and his head was against her chest. He pulled back slowly and sent her an apologetic smile, but she did not realize it during her conversation with the first lady.

The president stood up after the dishes were cleared and a podium was placed in front of him. "I hope you all enjoyed dinner." He started as a round of applause erupted from the guests. "Now we are here tonight to celebrate two of America's heroes and tonight we award them with the highest honors that our country can give."

A spot light came on the two of them and Ziva sat a little straighter. "Special Agent Ziva David and Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo have gone above and beyond to protect and serve this great nation, even though one of them has only been a citizen for a short while. I have only known them for a short while, but they are both amazing people and deserve the Medal of Freedom." He said pulling out two of the familiar velvet boxes and inside was a large star resting on a ribbon, it was beautiful and with the help of his wife, he placed them around the necks of the agents. They both looked at the star in awe as the president continued. "America thanks you for all that you do and keep doing all that you do to keep this great country safe and keep America proud." The crowd roared as the jumped to their feet.

In their stupor they were able to see their friends cheering loudly, even the stony faced Gibbs had a bright and proud smile on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoiler:** All is Game

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

They spent a good portion of the time shaking the hands of people who had great influence in American culture. Just as her feet were going to give out from standing in her heels for too long she was gathered into the arms of her friends. "I have never had to wait in line to give my own friends a hug before." Abby said into Ziva's neck.

Before she could say anything she was swept up into McGee's brotherly embrace, leaving Abby to jump into Tony's arms. He didn't say anything, only held her tightly before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Next was an awkward hug from the director and his wife, both congratulating her on the honor and a warm embrace from Ducky who rambled on about an award he had gotten when he was just a lad.

An awkward hand shake and a pat on the back came from Palmer before she was pulled tightly into a hug from Gibbs. "I am so proud of you." He said into her ear. "Both of you."

She pulled back slightly and smiled brightly. "That means a lot to me." She whispered as his hand went to cup her neck.

"I have always been proud of you, Ziver." He said, pressing a fatherly kiss to her forehead before he moved to Tony, who was teasing Palmer about something. Tony was surprised when he was pulled into a hug by his boss.

He had worked with the man for a very long time and never had he ever hugged him for any reason, not that Tony minded. "I know I don't say it enough, but I am proud of you." He said as he released him.

"Thanks boss." He said, swelling in pride as his boss exited the room with the rest of their colleagues. He turned his attention to his partner and pulled her into his arms. Her arms went around his waist as his hands combed through her curls intimately laying his head on top of hers and her eyes closed, relishing in his touch was something that she was enjoying more and more with each day. A presidential cough broke them apart and they smiled sheepishly.

The president smiled. "I hope you both have enjoyed yourself." He stated.

"Very much, thank you for inviting us we have had a lovely evening." Ziva said her voice slightly higher in pitch and Tony nodded in agreement.

He nodded appreciatively. "It's an honor to have you here." He said, shaking their hands one more time. "When you are ready, Samuel will drive you back."

*~*

The drive back to her apartment was quiet and even Samuel was quiet, less annoyed than when they were picked up. They sat side by side and her head rested against his broad shoulder, she dozed softly as he played with her fingers that were entwined with his. The limo came to a stop at her complex, jostling her awake and Samuel got out to open her door, methodically she stepped out and he followed. This time the driver didn't say a word as Tony passed. "I won't be long." He said as he followed Ziva up to her apartment. They stood in front of her door, unsure how to end the night they just spent together as they both looked to their feet.

"I. . ." They both started together and laughed. Tony's hand went to the back of his neck, to ease the tension.

She smiled sweetly as she looked up through her eyelashes. "I had a great time . . . with you tonight." She said softly.

"I was going to say the same thing to you." He said suddenly feeling nervous, more nervous than he had felt all day and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

He was about to make his move when she stepped forward and placed her small hand on his cheek, standing on her tip toes she placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Laila tov, Tony." She whispered before she entered her apartment, leaving him alone in the hallway wanting more.

"Good night." He said to the door, before he slowly walked down the hallway and back to the waiting limo. He climbed inside and rested his head against the cool leather of the seats. Why did he leave? With an angry groan he sat up. "Hey Sam?"

"Yes, Mr. DiNozzo, what can I do for you?" He said politely, looking into the rearview mirror.

"Turn around."

*~*

Tony pounded on the door for a good five minutes waiting for the door to open before he heard the footsteps on the other side of the door. His hand went impatiently through his hair as his other went into its pocket as the door opened. "Take you long enough, Probie."

McGee's hair was wet as was his clothes, like he didn't towel off before he got dressed. "What do you want, Tony?" He asked annoyed, but quickly lost it when he saw that he was distressed. With a sigh he moved aside to allow him to come in the apartment, but Tony slightly hesitated. "Come in."

When he finally stepped into the apartment, he looked around the room, it hadn't changed much since the last time he was here except the size of his TV that was on mute on the wall had gotten larger. With his own sigh he sat in one of the black leather chairs and was immediately greeted by Jethro, the large German shepherd that he had adopted. Tony scratched his ear and McGee watched him expectantly as he interacted with the dog, Tony usually did things on his terms, but his passive-aggressive attitude was going to wear McGee's patience thin. "Who is a good boy?" He asked the dog, Jethro was completely won over by the man.

"What brings you here, Tony?" McGee asked.

He released his breath that he was holding and smiled. "Maybe I just wanted to see Jethro." He said with a joke.

McGee shook his head and was about to speak when an image from the White House came on the screen catching his attention. It was of the dinner and the report's lips moved, but no sound came out. He reached for the remote and turned up the sound. ". . . _Our reporter Morgan Reyes was in attendance of the Medal of Freedom ceremony. Morgan?"_

"_Thanks Tracey. The president hosted his second Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House this evening honoring the Harlow Pier Heroes, Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva Day-vid."_

"Da-veed" Tony corrected quietly and suddenly McGee knew what was bothering Tony. It was her, Ziva David.

"_Da-veed_, _excuse me."_ The reporter corrected as she described the ceremony as an image of the medals being placed around their necks and they both had proud smiles, shaking the president's hand. The images panned to the guests around the room, clapping excitedly until it stopped on an image of Tony and Ziva's very intimate, public embrace. McGee's breath hitched in surprise as Tony turned his attention back to the dog.

"_Those two make such a cute couple." _Commented the studio reporter with a gushing smile that was making Tony sick to his stomach.

The field reporter laughed softly_. "They have yet to comment on their relationship status, but from the looks of it they don't have to comment, they are the next. . ."_ The reporter said and Tony muted it again to stop her rambling about the two of them.

"What the hell does she mean by that?" He cried to McGee, jumping to his feet and startling the dog. McGee shook his head with a shrug and looked to the floor, immediately he got defensive. "What?"

He held his hands to the side. "What do you want me to say, Tony?" Tony shrugged, unsure if he wanted to hear what he had to say. "Do you want me to tell you that she is lying or that they are just fishing for a story?"

Tony fell silent and sat back down the on the chair with his head in his hands. "Just tell me something. . ."

McGee sighed and it was his turn to run his hand through his wet hair. "Think about it Tony." He started somberly, he could go into detail of their entire relationship, but that would take too long and again McGee had things to do. "Would you have gone half way around to world to kill a terrorist who you thought killed her if it was somebody other than Ziva?"

Tony didn't move, McGee had to step closer to make sure he was still breathing. "Do I really need to spell it out for you? I think I can put it in a movie reference for you to understand." McGee said annoyed, Tony was the one who was supposed to be suave with the ladies and knew exactly what to say to woo them off their feet, but seeing him this lost almost gave him no hope of ever finding the perfect someone. "Let me take you home and you can sleep on it. Tomorrow is Saturday and you can think about how you are going to tell her your feelings for her."

"It's okay, I can walk." Tony said numbly getting to his feet and walking to the door as a loud clap of lightning came over head.

The probie shook his head, with him being lost in his thoughts who knows where he would end up and Gibbs, no Ziva would surely kill him and painfully. "No, I will never hear the end of it if you ruin that tux." McGee said and Tony shrugged a 'you might be right' shrug as he grabbed his keys, padding barefoot to the door to drive him home.

His apartment wasn't far from McGee's and the drive was in complete silence, on Tony's part was he was embarrassed to have a meltdown in front of McGee, whom he was supposed to be strong for. But McGee was allowing him the time to think, even though he knew he should say something so that the status quo didn't shift and at this point he didn't care. Tony needed to stop putting up his childish, frat boy front and be a man for all of their sakes.

He pulled his car to a stop in front of his building and slowly he climbed out. "Thanks Tim." He said weakly and he shut the door gently.

McGee smiled weakly as he watched him walk inside the building. "You're welcome." McGee said as he drove off with a sigh. If Tony didn't tell her soon, he was going to take it upon himself to tell her of Tony's feelings and lock them in a closet, before hiding for his life.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K+

**Spoiler:** All is Game

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

Tony changed his clothes, letting his tux rest on the floor as he sat on the couch with a thud. Normally he would pick a movie that would retell his mood and open a beer before ordering take out, but today wasn't normal. He just had dinner with the president, received the highest award a civilian could receive and held his partner on live TV.

The TV sat blank, he didn't want to hear about the Harlow Pier Heroes and everybody's opinion on his relationship with Ziva that was now fuzzier than ever. Did she watch the news and see the two of them pretending like they were the only two people in the room?

Or would she be okay with it? She would have broken his arm if she was displeased with him touching her in a way that she wasn't okay with it. He missed having her soft, warm body in his arms and the way her hand slid into his when he was nervous and all the small things about her. He groaned when he realized that they were probably the first page news and Gibbs was going to slap him upside the head, come Monday.

His mind wandered back to her lips pressing to his before she went inside her apartment, was she thinking about it also? Maybe McGee was right maybe she would be the one that he would start a family with, he was always the romantic. McGee was also right on another point also, he wouldn't have trekked through godforsaken Somalia for just anyone. Ziva was important and he truly couldn't live without her.

He couldn't live without her.

Tony jumped to his feet and grabbed his keys before walking out of his apartment to his Mustang that rested quietly in its covered stall. By now the rain was falling down in buckets and the thunder roared angrily, but he needed to see her.

The drive to her apartment was easy there was nobody on the road at 0200 in the morning, even the picture takers had gone home to either build an ark or to nestle in for the night. He practically had to swim to her apartment and as he stood in her hallway, dripping wet his hand froze in the process of knocking and suddenly he didn't care if he woke her up, he needed to get this off of his chest.

The knock was loud and echoed down the hall, but after five minutes it went unanswered. He knocked again before he smiled, for someone who had the ears of a bat she probably couldn't hear him over her own snoring. He took out his lock pick and inserted into the keyhole, it was the second time in a short about of time that he had to pick the lock to her apartment he really needed a key to her place.

Once inside he shut the door as quietly as he could, because he could see this going wrong in so many ways mostly him startling her into breaking his arm or other anatomy parts. He treaded lightly across the floor to her room and he pushed her door open to see that her bed was empty the covers were still tucked tight and unused with her dress laying on it.

With a frown he shut the door and surveyed the apartment for anything out of place, but nothing seemed to be off. He sighed as he locked her apartment up and he climbed into his car, braving the torrential downpour to where he knew she was.

*~*

When he arrived to the hospital the rain had yet to let up and it seem to have chased everybody from the normally packed parking lot, giving him a straight run into the door. The hospital was barren save for some housekeeping staff and nurses walking quietly down the hall making the only sound beeping from random machines and elevators causing his nerves to go wild again.

He reached the guarded door and the same cop from the night before nodded him inside. The door opened slowly and there she was, sitting in the rocking chair asleep with the baby asleep in her arms. He couldn't help but release the breath he was holding because she looked beautiful and practically angelic, glowing from the haze of fluorescent lights.

Tony wasn't sure what to do, he could easy turn around to leave or he could wake her up. The way her head rested against the hard rocking chair was going to cause pain in her neck when she woke up, but he was more worried about her growing attachment to the small infant whose future was uncertain at the moment. They had yet to find any matches to anyone and nobody has come forward to claim her, but what if someone did? How would Ziva take it?

The baby started to fuss quietly in her arms so Tony moved to grab her from Ziva so that it didn't wake the sleeping ninja. His large hands lifted her with ease and remembered from watching Ziva do it earlier to support her neck as he pressed the baby to his body. The infant settled and her bright eyes opened, looking at him before a smile came to her face and he reciprocated, he hadn't held a baby in a very long time and even then it wasn't as young as the small one in his arms. He turned to look at Ziva, who was still asleep in the rocking chair and Tony began to quietly pace around the room, he didn't really know what to do with it.

The door opened and the same nurse from the night before came in with a small bottle in her hand. "Oh? Good morning Mr. DiNozzo." She said with a grandmotherly smile.

"It's Tony." He said as he moved to give the baby to her, but the nurse shook her head.

"Would you mind?" The nurse asked with a raised brow and slowly Tony nodded, taking the bottle into his hand and pressed it to the infant's lips who accepted it greedily.

When he looked up the nurse had disappeared from the room and Tony shrugged, pacing around the room with a bounce in his step. "Looks like it's just you and me, Mary." He sang to her.

His back was turned to Ziva who had woken up, but remained silent and watched him feed the infant. She was slightly amused as he bounced on the balls of his feet, but he looked completely comfortable with her in his hands and she thought back to when they were under cover, when he teased her about being pregnant and him being a father. "Mary?"

He turned around, slightly startled as a smile came to his face. "Yeah, it was the baby's name in Three Men and a Baby, starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenburg and Ted Danson. Three men find a baby on their doorstep and it belongs to one of their girlfriends." He said. "I think it sort of fits the situation."

She got to her feet and walked slowly over to him, pressing her front to his back and standing on her tip toes to rest her chin on his tall shoulder. "I do not think she looks like a Mary." Ziva said quietly in his ear, he shivered slightly at her close proximity and her warm breath against his neck.

They stood quietly like that until formula in the bottle disappeared and Ziva took a step back, not allowing herself to relish in his warmth for long and instantly she regretted it. He brought the baby to his shoulder and patted its back, like she did the day before and placed it back into the small cot before he turned to look at her.

She hadn't taken her makeup off and her curly hair had been pulled back into a hair tie and she looked flat out exhausted as a small yawn escaped her. He placed an arm across her shoulders, pulling her close to his side. "Come on, I will take you home." She nodded and allowed him to lead her from the room.

*~*

The rain had let up a little on the way to her apartment and again he walked her to her apartment, when she stopped suddenly and turned to look him in the eye. "What made you come to the hospital?" She asked.

He looked to his feet almost sheepishly. "I . . . I was looking for you?" He said lamely.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked.

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "It isn't important, I will see you later." He said turning to leave, but she grabbed his arm to stop him from fleeing. Her eyes were full of tired concern and he wasn't going to unload his feelings on her until she was completely lucid. "Really Zee-vah."

"Okay, goodnight again." She said entering her apartment, this time without a kiss and leaving Tony wanting more.

He stood in the hallway for a moment before hitting the wall across from her door lightly with his fist. "You are such a coward." He said angrily before he left.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title**: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K

**Spoiler:** Pre Jetlag

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

Ziva awoke when the sun came up and she rolled over to look at the LED letters on her clock read well after 0900. She sat up and stretched her muscles, it was the first time in a very long time that she was awake after 0500.

She padded barefoot into her kitchen to make her a cup of tea before she sat at her computer, running through her morning internet routine of reading the local news before the news in Israel and checking her Facebook account making it nearly 0940 when she looked at the clock again. With a sigh and her cup in her hand she leaned her back against the back of the couch, why was Tony looking for her in the wee hours of the morning?

He seemed flustered and slightly upset, but his voice and body position didn't want her to pursue it. They had spent the last two days taped to each other's hip, would he not want some time alone? Ziva sipped her tea slowly and reveled in the silence that her apartment offered. With her free hand she picked up the remote to her stereo and turned it on to something smooth to fit her lazy mood, Frank Sinatra's voice filled the room.

A knock on the door brought her out of her daze and a smile came to her face as she placed her cup onto the coffee table and got to her feet. She assumed Tony would be on the other side of the door, but it wasn't only a very excitable Abby on the other side.

"Abby?" She asked curiously as she pushed her way into her apartment. "Come in?"

The scientist was shaking with excitement when she turned around to face her a copy of Washington Post was thrusted into her face. On the front page of the news was a picture of her and Tony in each other's arms from the night before. "There is something that you are not telling me, Ziva."

Ziva adjusted the paper to get a better view of it, the picture was from Tony's side where they could see his eyes closed, with his cheek resting on top of her curls and his hands cupping her neck, the picture was beautiful and a private moment between the two of the caught for the world to see. She mumbled something in Hebrew and quickly scanned the article.

"You are on the cover of every major newspaper sold at the stand near my apartment." She said brightly. "Of course I bought one of everything, but this is what is delivered to Gibbs' front porch every morning, you guys are the new Brangelina or TomKat or. . . I don't know, but you are the talk of the town Ziva."

"I don't know what a brangelina is." Ziva said reading the paper, slightly in awe.

"Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, they are actors in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith and a bunch of other movies." Abby said excitedly. "You are the hottest couple in America at the moment according to every local news show."

Ziva looked up from the magazine. "Tony and I are not a couple, Abby. . . ." She said and Abby frowned before interrupting her.

"I know!"

This time Ziva frowned. "And even if Tony and I were in a relationship, I do not understand what the big deal is." She said, handing her the paper back.

"It doesn't matter, but this society is all about intruding on people's privacy." Abby said, her grin was unbreakable and her eyes dancing with glee. "Anyway, I just wanted to show you the paper I am going in to check for DNA results."

"I will go with you." Ziva said quickly running into her room to change, throwing on a pair of khaki cargo pants and a long sleeved shirt that hung to her curves tightly. She threw her hair into a long braid that traveled down her back before she wandered back in the sitting room to find Abby sitting on the couch randomly typing on the keyboard with a slight shocked look on her face.

She looked up when she felt Ziva nearby and she turned around startled, on the screen was a familiar site that she had spent some time at the night before. The site was for the Washington D.C. Child Services, more specifically on fostering and adoption. "You want to adopt her?" Abby asked almost critically.

Ziva shifted her weight subtly and shrugged her shoulders. "The doctor suggested I looked into fostering her because he is about ready to release her from the hospital. He wrote a recommendation to the Child Protection Services and if they cannot find a relative in three months, she will be eligible adoption."

Abby groaned reproachfully and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out initially. "Ziva, I'm not so sure. . ."

"As of right now, she doesn't have anybody to lo. . . care for her." Ziva argued, interrupting the scientist's unusually negative flow of thought.

The scientist stood up and placed her gloved hands on her arms. "Adoption is astronomically huge, Ziva and it is a big. . ."

"Do not lecture me on responsibilities, Abby." Ziva said firmly with a glare, brushing Abby's hands of her arms and taking a step back. "I have been taking care of myself for a very long time now and I may not know everything there is to raise a child, but I am quick to learn and fully capable."

Abby held her hands up defensively. "That isn't what I meant, Ziva . . ." Abby started to say before Ziva clenched her fists at her side and turned sharply on her heels, grabbing her backpack and exiting her apartment with the slam of her door leaving Abby standing there in a stupor. "Ziva!" She chased her out of the apartment and down the hallway, she chased her to the stairs where Abby lost her and she momentarily cursed her bulky boots as she took the stairs to the bottom floor.

Outside showed no sign of her either, only the paparazzi standing around lazily waiting for Ziva to exit and Abby impatiently stomped her foot on the pavement, she hated it when Ziva used her Mossad tricks on her. Usually Abby was the emotional one, but the whole situation was making Ziva an emotional time bomb, she was unpredictable and flighty, a deadly combination that Abby feared she set off on the general population.

Slowly she climbed into the hearse and drove towards her lab, in hopes of solving the case and hopefully with their friendship still intact.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones

Characters: Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, Gibbs

Pairing: T/Z

Genre: Romance, angst, family

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

Chapter 9

Ziva walked into the empty squad room and with a thud she placed the backpack on the floor as she sat on her chair. Quickly she checked her email, most of them requests to do interviews and SPAM before she started combing through the missing persons database for the whole east coast. As she put in the search parameters into the database she was surprised to see just how much she had to comb through, just near three hundred complaints, most of them dealing with custody battles.

The infant could have come from anywhere and each photo looked similar, soft dark downy hair in little pigtails and blue eyes, sorting through them all was going to be extremely difficult.

Unless she had Abby run a facial recognition program against the database. She shook her head and one by one attempted to do a facial match with the photo that the doctor emailed to her.

McGee came in sometime later, dressed in jeans with a buttoned shirt and he was completely unaware that he wasn't alone in the squad room. He nearly dropped his coffee when he saw her absorbed in her work. "Good afternoon Ziva." He said taking a seat at his desk and placing his things in the drawer. She only waved in acknowledgment and he came into her area to read over her shoulder, she was on her fifty-seventh missing children's report, which was leading her nowhere. "I thought Abby was coming in today to check on the DNA results."

"I have not seen her." She said abruptly moving to her fifty-eighth report her eyes were struggling to focus on the details of the picture.

He frowned. "Well I can run a facial recognition program for you." He offered and couldn't imagine trying to do it by hand. She looked up from her computer screen and he gained a small smile from her, which he returned as he took the photo from her desk and slowly moved to his desk. He sat down and gave her the once over, he wasn't well adept in reading her as Tony was, but he could tell something was off. "Are you alright?"

She was sorting the papers on her desk when she looked up at him. "I am fine, Tim." She answered and turned back to her computer, signaling to him that she was done talking and would divulge into what was bothering her.

He opened the program on his computer and turned to scan the photo, but his scanner was missing from its usual spot on the back desk. He frowned and got up from his desk, walking down towards Abby's lab with a final glance at the woman at her desk, she had the phone pressed to her ear and she spoke quietly into the receiver.

When he reached Abby's lab, he realized that Abby was indeed in her lab and she wasn't alone. She was sifting through databases trying to find a partial match and Gibbs sat on a stool, listening to her ramble about something and she stopped suddenly when she saw him. "Timmy! What brings you to Abbyville?"

"I came to use your recognition program." He said with a smile and placing the photo into the scanner before taking a seat on the free stool. "Ziva suggested running the picture against the missing children's database she was trying to do it by hand. . ."

Abby sent Gibbs a look and placed her hands on her hips. "See, I told you she was avoiding me." She said with a whine. McGee gave her a confused look and she folded her arms in a huff. "We got into a little disagreement."

"What did you disagree about?" Gibbs asked, folding his arms across his broad chest careful to not spill his coffee.

The scientist threw her hands around. "I went to her apartment this morning to show her the paper." She said turning to the computer and typing on some keys to bring it up on the plasma. McGee frowned and Gibbs showed no interest in the photo obviously because he had seen it before. "And. . ."

Gibbs' cell phone rang from his jacket and he pulled it out pressing it to his ear. "Yeah, Gibbs." He answered as he walked out of the lab.

McGee and Abby shared a look, his was expectant and hers was offended. "Well?" McGee asked.

She got back on topic with the shake of her hair, her pigtails swishing from side to side. "She was looking up information about fostering with the chance to adopt that infant, McGee." She said with a sigh, her face laced with worry.

"Maybe she was looking up what would happen if we can't find her parents. . ." McGee suggested as he started to type the parameters of the search, before sending it into the search engine and her look turned critical. "Or not, how did you come across this information?"

Her glare turned icy. "I bumped her computer and it was on the screen." She said growing frustrated, his look grew condescending and he folded his arm. "Okay, I was curious as to what she was looking at, but. . ."

McGee rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "But what, Abby? She is probably upset that you invaded her privacy." He retorted. "She has been avoiding the paparazzi for two days who are just looking for an entrance into her privacy and you invaded it in the privacy of her own home. You should know how particular she is about her privacy and if you don't ask Tony, he knows all about it."

Abby looked at her feet sheepishly, scuffing her boot along the tile. "That isn't why she is upset." She said quietly.

This time a frown came to his face. "What did you say to her?" He asked, Abby tended to be a bit judgmental at times and could press her views onto unwilling victims.

Taking a deep breath before she spoke filled McGee with worry, if Abby was feeling guilty then it had to have been bad. "I may have suggested that it wasn't a good idea for her to go through with it." She squeaked.

"Oh Abby." McGee said with a sigh and suddenly he knew why Ziva was upset. Since she came back from Somalia, she had grown softer and more . . . maternal to the point that they could hear the proverbial biological clock ticking loudly and rescuing the abandoned infant, who had a lot in common with her, was her opportunity to quiet the ticking without letting herself become vulnerable.

She stomped her foot. "Don't interrogate me McGee, I just don't want to see her get hurt when we find who this baby belongs to." Abby answered. "I think she is getting too attached and losing her objectivity."

"What if we don't find the family?" He argued back taking a step closer to her. "Abby, think about this rationally. . ."

Her hands went to her hips and stood tall, prepared to plead her case and win. "I am the only one being rational, she is the one being emotional. . ."

"She has every right to be emotional." McGee argued, his voice raising in volume. "She jumped into the Atlantic Ocean and saved a drowning infant after her mother pushed her off the pier and being followed by photographers for the past two days hasn't helped her situation at all. I don't know what your problem is. . ."

Abby huffed and stood close to his face. "I am the one with a problem?"She interrupted in a roar. "If I had a problem, and I don't, it would be that I don't think that she has settled enough to handle an infant and I don't think that she can settle fully she is an assassin for god's sake and how do you tell that child that your job is to kill people. . ."

A deafening thud erupted through the lab and they turned to see Ziva freeze before she turned on her heels and rushing from the lab, abandoning the clipboard. McGee looked between Abby and the voided space before he took off after the woman in question, but he stopped and faced the scientist. "That is where you are wrong, Abby. Ziva isn't an assassin anymore."

Abby sat slowly on her chair slightly stunned and buried her face into her hands, McGee was right about one thing: Ziva wasn't an assassin anymore and deserved a better friend than Abby Schiuto.

Who was she to judge what she wanted to make her happy? This case was getting to everybody and as Abby sat miserably in her chair she realized that the baby and Ziva had a lot in common, that they were both abandoned by their biological family and nearly killed, that they both probably would live in the clichéd happily ever after that Disney promised.

"This is Ziva and she deserves to be happy!" She cried to herself, but was greeted by beeps coming from all ends of the room as each machine came up with their matches. "Oh?"

*~*

McGee took the stairs after her leaving Abby in her lab so he could diffuse the situation, but when he got into the squad room it was in its normal Saturday emptiness, even Gibbs had disappeared. He went to Ziva's desk to look for any sign that she was still there, but her backpack and cell phone rested in their spots and he sighed before trotting over to the elevator to search for her. He took it down to the lobby and the receptionist looked up with a smile. "Have you seen Ziva?"

The receptionist blew a bubble with her gum and it popped with a loud crack. "Yes, she took outta here like a bat outta hell." She said with her thick southern drawl. "She looked mighty upset."

He ran out the glass double doors and was greeted face to face with Gibbs, who glared slightly at the prospect of almost losing his coffee. "Everything alright?"

"I'm looking for Ziva." McGee said breathlessly.

Gibbs looked at him expectantly, but he missed his cues because he was breathing loudly. "Why?"

"She overheard me and Abby talking and she ran off upset." McGee explained and Gibbs cued him to continue and McGee went over the details of the conversation that he had had with Abby as he followed Gibbs back into the elevator. "I don't want her to think that I. . ."

The older man placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Give her some time to calm down before you approach her, Tim." Gibbs said taking a sip of his coffee and taking the familiar path towards the forensic scientist's lab.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Author: Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

Characters: Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, Gibbs

Pairing: Tony/Ziva

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities

Tony sat on his couch with a soda in his hand and a movie on the TV screen. He took a deep swig of the cola before looking at his watch, which read near noon and he knew eventually he would have to get up and go to work or not. Today the couch felt exceptionally comfy and the movie was relaxing, giving him an escape from the last few days and with a sigh he picked up his cell phone to look at the screen as he contemplated inviting Ziva to bask in the comfort of his couch and the privacy of his home.

She probably didn't want to see him after all they had been together for the past two days, which had to be a record without a death threat.

And the line between them had grown fuzzier. It was always fuzzy because of their constant teasing and light touches, but the way he held her yesterday and her light kiss on his lips had changed the status quo and he wasn't so sure as to which direction it went in, hopefully for the better.

A knock on the door brought him from his thoughts and he padded barefoot to the door to see the woman of his thoughts standing on the other side. She looked at her feet and was quiet, no joke about the college t-shirt that he wore or the holes in his jeans and the shiny wet streaks lined her cheeks as he pushed the door open all the way. He didn't say anything, only holding his arms open for her to step inside and she did, laying her head on the solidness of his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He shut the door lightly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his head on top of hers and he expected sobs to succumb her body, but only silent tears escaped her buried face and soaked his shirt.

Tony was worried. This wasn't the Ziva he knew, the Ziva he knew would stand up to whoever upset her and he would probably get a call to pick her up from lockup. She had been acting weird since all the excitement started, but this was highly atypical. He wasn't going to question it, only allowing himself to comfort her best that he could.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but she looked with her eyes swollen after a long moment and he wiped the streaks from her face before laid her head back on his chest, listening to the soft beating of his heart and his hands slid down her back, resting on the small of her back before he spoke softly. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head and buried her nose into his chest, inhaling the scent of his soap and deodorant. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

She shook her head and it was a moment longer before she took a deep breath and moved her head to his shoulder, he turned his head to look her in the eye and was unsure of the look that she was giving him. Her next move was slow and deliberate, moving her hand from his waist to thread through his hair and pulling his head closer to hers so that she could press her lips to his in a slow lingering kiss, much like the one the night before.

Tony responded to the kiss like he should have done yesterday and she pushed to deepen the kiss, but he broke it off with his breathing labored. "Ziva wait." He said breathlessly and Ziva stood up on her toes to kiss him again, which he returned before pushing himself away.

She looked at him and he could see the hurt in her face. "Please Tony." She begged, nuzzling her nose against his chin.

He was surprised to hear her beg and he couldn't deny her anything that she wanted and if taking away whatever was bothering her for the time being, then he would do anything for her. Slowly he captured her lips against his and holding her tightly against him, offering her whatever comfort he could provide to make her pain go away. They met kiss for kiss, before his lips traveled down her neck and his hands snaking its way under her shirt as her hands held his head in place.

Ziva let a whimper escape her lips as he nipped the sensitive part of her neck before he pulled the shirt over her head, leaving her in a black singlet. He traced her collarbone down to the swell of her breasts as his hands surrounded her waist before he slowly led them to his bedroom and guided her to lay on the freshly made bed. He bracketed her legs with his own and took his shirt off, tossing it on to the floor and almost immediately her fingers traced the familiar curls of hair.

His hands found their way under her singlet and pulled it off in one swift movement followed by her cargo pants ending up in the pile of clothes around the floor. He stopped for a moment to enjoy her lying on his bed in her black underwear and she all but flushed under his hungry glance. "God Ziva." He whispered, his fingers tracing along the scars and curves of her abdomen. "You are so beautiful."

Tony continued his assault on her neck, placing nipping bites along her shoulder as his calloused hands began to map her long legs that he had imagined since he first saw her walk into NCIS all that time ago and it wasn't long until they were skin for skin.

He filled the void that she was missing, but all thoughts of the baby, Abby, McGee and the entire world disappeared with each whimper and cry that escaped their lips as their bodies became tangled as one. Tony moved slowly and deliberately to bring out every feeling and make her forget what was bothering for the time being before he got it out of her, whatever it was had to have been huge enough for her to come over and beg for his comfort. He would offer it for the rest of his life if he had too to make sure that she never turned up at his door looking lost and hurt.

His slow, deep thrusts picked up as they both neared their peak and it wasn't long until they were both completely sated, laying in tangle breathlessly with her head on his chest and her fingers raking through the hair on his chest. Tony watched her as she watched her fingers with interest and he kissed the crown of her head among her sex tangled hair.

The silence was comforting and she seemed content to keep it that way, but Tony wasn't. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked in a whisper that echoed through his bedroom. She tensed and sat up, searching the floor for her clothing and as she grabbed her singlet he placed a hand around her arm, pulling her back into the bed. "It's okay Ziva if you don't want to talk about it. . ."He pleaded and she sighed, pulling the singlet over her breasts and her underwear on before crawling back under the covers with her back to him. Tony placed a protective arm around her and placed a kiss on her shoulder. "I am here when you are ready, Ziva."

She loosened up enough to cuddle closer to him and slowly fall asleep, leaving Tony to trace lazy patterns on her arm and stomach before he too started to doze off.

*~*

McGee had been looking for Ziva for over an hour, she wasn't at her apartment or the shooting range or the gym so he resorted to asking Tony if he had seen her. Calling gave no answers, Ziva left her phone at NCIS and Tony hadn't answered.

Abby had found the father and he was on his way to interrogation, but McGee wanted to make sure she was alright. He rapped his knuckles against the door as his other hand held his phone, prepared to put a BOLO and Missing Persons report on her if Tony hadn't seen her.

He just wanted it to end and everything to go back to normal, but he was sure that it wouldn't. Ziva would be hard to forgive Abby if she ever did and she would probably resort back to her hollow shell that she became after they rescued her. It had taken them months to scale the walls around her, well mostly Tony, to get close enough to her to make her usual self.

Footsteps from the inside were heavy and McGee sighed, Tony got to take a nap while he had to find Ziva? The door opened and Tony stood on the other side wearing a t-shirt and boxers with his hairs standing on end. "Can I help you McGee?" He asked hoarsely.

McGee gave a weak smile. "You haven't been answering your phone. . ."He answered almost nervously.

He turned around and walked towards his coffee table to pick up his phone which had four missed calls from him. McGee closed the door behind him and shifted his weight. "The sound was off." He said turning back to face him. "Did you need something?"

"I was looking for Ziva." He squeaked and cleared his throat. "She doesn't have her cell phone, she ran out without grabbing it."

"Ziva is here, she's sleeping." Tony answered pointing to his bedroom door that was left slightly ajar and McGee could see her asleep on her side through the crack in the door. "Something was bothering her and it took me a long time to calm her down. . ." He stopped suddenly and frowned. "You know what is bothering her?"

McGee looked away. "She got into a fight with Abby this morning and when I was talking to Abby about it, she overheard Abby same some pretty mean things about her." He answered, scuffing his toe of his shoe against the carpet. "I've been looking for her for over an hour to apologize."

Tony's shoulders deflated. "What did Abby say?" He asked motioning for McGee to take a seat on his leather sofa.

"She found a website on Ziva's computer about fostering and adoption and Abby doesn't think it's such a good idea." Tim started to explain about Ziva trying to do the facial match by hand to avoid Abby and when he took it down to the lab Abby was talking to Gibbs about it. "Gibbs left and I asked her about it, she was insistent that the baby was ruining Ziva's objectivity for the case and that she was just being emotional."

Tony's eyebrow shot up slightly. "Abby said that? I can see Ziva getting angry over that, she is just concentrating on not hurting anybody. . ." He said, trying to lighten the pending doom that he was feeling.

"That isn't what she heard though." McGee interrupted. "Abby asked how Ziva would tell the child about her being an assassin and how many people she has killed." Tony frowned and stood up to pace running a hand through his already messy hair.

"That doesn't matter." He growled. "She isn't an assassin anymore."

"I know that and so does Abby, I just don't know what her problem is." McGee said, standing up to slow Tony's pacing. "I think that if everything was to work out, Ziva would make a great mother whether it's to the little girl you guys saved or her own child. I just wish this case just has to end before anymore damage is done."

Tony nodded and rubbed his eyes. He now understood why she was so upset, Ziva wasn't one to value other people's opinion, but she considered the scientist her friend and she hurt her. "Me too." He said as his phone vibrated from his hand and he pressed it to his ear. "Yes?"

His face fell as he shot McGee a knowing look. "Yeah, we are on our way." He said hanging up the phone. "Abby found a match with the facial recognition program and AFIS. Gibbs is bringing the father into interrogation."

McGee forcefully exhaled and nodded, he already knew that and he was going to bring it up. An end was in sight as Tony disappeared into his bedroom, closing the door to allow Ziva some privacy to wake up and calm down if she was still upset leaving McGee standing awkwardly in his living room, he took his leave and shut the door behind him with a quiet click of the latch.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Author: Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

Characters: Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, Gibbs

Pairing: Tony/Ziva

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities

McGee looked up from his computer as the elevator door opened with a loud ping and he expected to see a mess coming off the elevator, but to his surprise Ziva had a small smile that only Tony could bring to her face as he excitedly spoke about movie. They parted and sat at their respective desks before they noticed him watching them. "Hello McGee." Ziva said.

"Hi Ziva." He responded and looked to Tony who shot him a look that indicated that she didn't know that McGee had stopped by his apartment. McGee opened his mouth and closed it, not sure of what to say but he didn't have to as Gibbs brushed past them and placed his cup on the desk.

"Good of you to finally join us, DiNozzo." He said, not looking up from rifling through his papers. "David you are with me in the conference room." She jumped up and waited for him to lead the way to the conference room but he didn't move. "Meet me outside the door."

She nodded and took the familiar path away from the squad room. Gibbs scribbled an address on a post-it note and shoved it into Tony's hand as he followed Ziva. Tony didn't question it as he saw an address written on it, it was on the Navy base and not too far from where they were now. "Come on McGee we got to go pick up somebody."

Ziva waited patiently and she knew who was on the other side of the door. It was the father of the infant she saved and she didn't know what to expect, Gibbs didn't give any detail to Tony or it wasn't passed onto her. She startled as Gibbs appeared behind her, he placed a cup into her hand when she turned around and forced a smile to her lips. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded again, not trusting her voice to betray her edginess. He opened the door and on the other side revealed a well dressed man, who sat with a straight posture and his hands on the table. He looked up and it couldn't be denied that the infant had his nose. In front of him was a collection of articles off all the events from the last couple of days but they scattered all over the table when he jumped up. "You are the woman who saved my daughter." He stated as she walked in the door she was enveloped into a hug from the strange man and she tensed.

"This is Special Agent Ziva David." Gibbs said as she was released from the hug and they all took a seat in the leather chairs. "This is Shawn Moore, the baby's father."

Ziva cleared her throat and stood up because her nerves didn't allow for her to sit still and she was silent, but before Gibbs could take the lead she spoke. "What is her name?" She asked just above a whisper.

"McKenzie Renee." He answered emotionally. "She was born November 25, 2009 at 4:30 in the afternoon."

Gibbs watched Ziva for a moment before he turned his attention to the father in front of him. "You reported her missing four days ago. . ." Gibbs started before the man interrupted.

"You don't think that I have anything to do with this do you?" He cried and Gibbs handed him the box of tissues. "Shelley wanted to take her to see her mother five days ago and when I called her mother, she never visited her so I filled out the missing persons report the day after."

Gibbs' eyebrow rose. "Just on your daughter?" Gibbs asked.

He nodded his head and fought to remain in control of his emotions. "Shelley was always flighty and would be gone for days at a time before McKenzie was born, but she stopped and we hadn't had a problem since she was born."

"You do not have a TV?" Ziva asked from her spot near the window forcing him to turn around. "This has been in the news since the moment it happened two days ago."

"I did see it on the news." He snapped with a slight watery glare. "Forgive me for not automatically thinking my wife was the one who pushed our daughter off a pier to drown. They didn't exactly give any information on the woman or the baby, I didn't even consider it until Agent Gibbs showed up at my door saying that my DNA was matched to her." Ziva rolled her eyes and Gibbs caught it, sending her a glare and she sobered up.

"Why didn't you report your wife missing again?" Gibbs asked.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Things were a bit rocky between us for the last few days." He said nervously.

Ziva frowned. "Rocky?"

He took a deep breath and looked at Ziva. "We had a fight the night she left." His gaze left hers and he looked into his lap.

"Did you hit her?" Gibbs asked.

He gave a humorless laugh and brushed his hair off his forehead to reveal a cut on his forehead. "She hit me with her grandmother's china plate before she left."

"Why?" Gibbs asked sitting back in his chair and Shawn gave him a confused look. "Women don't usually throw the good china unless they have a reason too."

He shook his head. "She was supposed to go back to work next week and she said that she wasn't ready, but we can't afford for her to not go back." He answered and looked away. "With the Navy she gets benefits and my insurance wouldn't cover her medications."

Gibbs reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a notepad as Ziva's eyebrow shot upward, surprised that Gibbs already knew that she worked for the Navy and made this their jurisdiction. "What kind of medications." He asked, prepared to write the names that he began to list off and when he finished, Gibbs handed Ziva the paper. "Run this to Ducky."

Ziva left without question, voting to take the stairs down to autopsy to avoid the scientist at all cost. The doors opened and she stepped inside as the doctor was hosting another lecture and was surrounded by new agents. ". . . Isn't the heart the most beautiful organ? The Greeks believed. . . " He looked up and saw Ziva in the back. "Hello Agent David." She was greeted by fifteen pairs of eyes who welcomed the distraction.

She waved slightly as the room began to fill with whispers. "Do you have a moment, Doctor Mallard?" She asked formally, uncomfortable under the gazes of his students.

Ducky looked at the clock on the wall which read near three "Why don't we take a ten minute break." He announced to the class and they all left as soon as the words left his mouth. A warm chuckle escaped his lips as he removed his gloves and face shield. "What can I do for you dear?"

She handed him the slip with the list of medications and he placed his glasses higher on his nose. "Can you tell me what these are?" She asked with a smile, Ducky gave her the once over and turned his attention back to the list.

"Of course." He said with a smile, but it fell as his eyes scanned the sheet. "These are very powerful drugs."

"Are they powerful enough for insurance companies to not to cover?" She asked.

Ducky pulled the glasses from his face, resting the ear piece at the corner of his mouth. "You would be very lucky to find one that does cover them." He answered as he took a seat on his high backed chair. "Most of them are standard anti-depressants, generics mostly but one of them is a very powerful anti psychotic drug allowed in the US. Whose medication list is this?" Ziva licked her lips and shook her head, anger swelling through her. "This isn't the baby's mother is it?"

Ziva nodded and Ducky squinted. "We found a DNA match to her father." Ziva answered and Ducky turned to grab his phone.

"I am going to make some phone calls, there is something wrong here." Ducky said dialing the phone and pressing it to his ear. "I will let you know what I find out. . . Dr. Timothy, its Dr Donald Mallard. . ."

Ziva turned to leave and made her way slowly up the stairs, taking a seat on a step to allow herself a chance to compose herself. If she was missing for three days, it meant she wasn't probably wasn't thinking clearly when she let the stroller fall into the ocean, but why was she on the antipsychotics?

Footsteps came from above and she didn't look up as someone took a seat next to her. She knew the smell and figure well and knew that she didn't have to say anything to him. "Are you okay?"

It took a moment before she looked up and Tony smile encouragingly. "I am fine." She answered sitting up straight. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked with a smile.

She was a sucker for his smile, not that she would ever let him know that. "I do not know what is on my mind right now, but as soon as I sort through it, you will be the first to know." She said with a smile, resting her head against his shoulder for a moment and he placed a warm hand on her back, it made her feel better.

They sat in silence for a moment longer and slowly she got up. "I am going to hold you to that." He whispered, pulling her into his arms in a quick hug. She broke the embrace and he headed down the stairs while she went up and back into the conference room where Gibbs was writing something down and Shawn Moore talked about his daughter.

He stopped talking as Ziva took a seat across from him. "Did you know why she took the medications?" She asked folding her arms lightly on the hardwood table.

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. "Depression I think, she spent some time in a mental ward because she attempted suicide in 2006." He said, fiddling with a piece a string on his jacket. "She was good until she had McKenzie, but then she suffered from post partum depression and they gave her something for that a couple of weeks ago."

Gibbs looked over at Ziva, giving her the once over before he spoke. "Can you think of any place your wife would go?" He asked.

"I don't know, she isn't at her mother's house and she hasn't seen Shelley all week." He said, resting his head in his hand. "Oh god, this will just kill Evelyn, that's her mother who is the only other person Shelley's got."

"Does she know that she is missing?" Ziva asked, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his arm.

He looked up and a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "No. When I called her two days ago, I told her that she lost her cell phone and I swung by a time or two to see if her car was there." The room fell into silence and his breathing hitched as he tried to control his emotions. "When can I see my daughter?"

"We need to check a couple of things and then we will have somebody escort you to the hospital." Gibbs said and he opened his mouth to argue. "She has to stay in our custody for awhile longer and as soon as everything is cleared up, she will be released to you."

He nodded without complaint as Gibbs got up and Ziva followed, shutting the door with a slight click of the latch. He stopped and so did she, but her gaze went to the floor to take a deep breath, his look of concern was overwhelming and she needed the length of a breath of collect herself. "I will . . ."

Gibbs shook his head. "What are you thinking?" He asked in his 'Nice Gibbs' voice that Tony coined. She looked up and opened her mouth to speak when they were interrupted by Ducky, who appeared breathlessly next to her. "Something wrong, Ducky?"

"I just got off the phone with a friend of mine and I asked him about the prescription cocktail that this woman was given." He said between breaths, he turned to the stairs and glared. "I need to go to the gym more often."

"Ducky." Gibbs said in his 'focus' voice.

"It was a very risky cocktail for someone suffering from postpartum depression or for anybody for that matter and is only given to people with schizophrenia."

"He didn't say anything about schizophrenia." Gibbs comment, folding his arms across his chest. This case was becoming more and more entangled by the minute and he hadn't had nearly enough coffee to handle it yet.

Ziva took a deep breath and she connected the pieces. "She had been missing for a day before he filled out the missing persons report four days ago, she hasn't taken her medication in two days or possibly three days when she was on the pier, could it have been some kind of psychotic episode from not taking her medications?"

Ducky frowned and bit his lip as he considered her words. "It's possible, highly possible." He said proudly as a smile broke on his face. "I will have to get a hold of her medical records and she will need a medical evaluation once we find her."

"I will find her medical records." Ziva said and turning on her feet, towards her desk leaving the older men standing in the hallway without allowing them another word in edge wise because she didn't want them to ask her what was wrong or if she was okay.

The men watched her and Gibbs frowned. "You're worried about her?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs nodded. "She's . . ." He couldn't find the words to describe what was going through her mind. The emotional roller coaster was slowly getting out of control.

"An emotional wreck." Stated Duck and they shared a nod. "Hopefully this case will close soon and things will get back to normal."

Gibbs shook his head she wasn't even this bad when they saved her from Somalia. "I am not so sure about that." He said as his cell phone rang, it was the director. "Yeah Gibbs, I'm on my way."

They shared a look as Gibbs headed up the stairs towards the director's office and Ducky sighed as he turned to take the elevator back to autopsy. He caught a glance of the squad room to see Ziva with a phone pressed to her ear and she was typing on her computer furiously and her partner sat at his desk, with the phone pressed to his own ear and a glance towards her. It took a moment before she looked up to meet his gaze and Ziva released a small smile, before glaring at her computer screen and giving it a swift whack with her hand. "I think everything will be fine." He said to himself as the silver box opened for him to enter.


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Author: Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

Characters: Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, Gibbs

Pairing: Tony/Ziva

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities

Like habit, Gibbs opened the door without knocking and a gained habit Director Vance didn't startle. He motioned to the chair in front of him and Gibbs took the seat. "How is the case coming along?"

Gibbs gave a non-committal shrug. "We matched the infants DNA to her father, who put a missing persons report on her four days ago." He said as he went into detail about the fathers account of the last time he had seen her and about the mother's medical history. "Ducky thinks the antipsychotic medication was incorrectly prescribed to her, we are chasing leads right now."

Vance nodded and laced his fingers together. "Sounds messy." He commented and Gibbs nodded. "I don't need to tell you that the SECNAV wants this closed quickly."

"We are exhausting all of our recourses and Metro is still helping us track her down." He answered as Vance pulled a file from his desk and opening it.

"Okay, keep me in the loop." He said with his small smile.

Gibbs nodded again. "Of course." He said, but Vance didn't excuse him from his office. "You didn't call me up here to hear the details of the case."

"SECNAV and the President would like Agent David and Agent DiNozzo to do an interview, they get to choose with whom they interview with and which details to release, they think that it will help boost moral around the country."

The agent got to his feet and shook his head. "Not going to happen." His voice was firm.

The director gave that look, the one that said 'you will do as I will tell you because I can replace you in the blink of an eye' that he gave when Gibbs was being a handful. "These are orders that are over my head, Gibbs." This man knew how to play the game and he held onto the ball before tossing it back. "It won't happen until the case is wrapped up."

The ball was in his court and he had to handle it with care. "Leon, this case . . ."

"I know it has been hard, especially on David, but they don't have a choice. So I suggest you break it to them gently."

Vance one, Gibbs zero.

For now.

Gibbs sighed and walked out of the office with the intent on finding the mother and getting his two senior agents out of something they clearly didn't want to do.

*~*

Her computer screen had windows upon windows of medical records for one Shelley Michelle Newton-Moore that was almost outrageous. Going through her service record was almost as bad, she enlisted right after September 11th in hopes of getting a ride to medical school, but was shifted off to Iraq as medical personnel for just over a year when she came home she married Shawn Moore and was shipped off to another tour where a convoy she was in was hit by a road side bomb, killing three soldiers in her jeep and severely hurting the rest except for her and one other. Two of the injured victims survived and she was sent back to the United States where she was treated for PTSD and given her first set of anti-anxiety medications and anti-depression medications.

In 2006 her father and her brother was killed in a car accident and she took some medical leave from the Navy because of an attempted suicide, overdosing on medications and was found by her husband and rushed to Bethesda and spent some time in a mental ward.

Instead of discharging her, she made the career shift to an office clerk in Norfolk to give her some consistency and a slower pace to recover where she had been since late 2007. Required to see a Navy appointed psychologist once a week pending evaluation to stop.

Reported that she was pregnant in April 2009.

Had a baby girl named McKenzie Renee Moore on November 25, 2009 weighing 5lbs and was 21 inches tall.

Not due to report back from maternity leave until Monday. Tomorrow.

In Ziva's attempt to get into the woman's head she didn't hear Gibbs brush into the room and appear in front of her desk. "Ziva." He said after a moment of standing there and Tony looked up, it would've been funny if the situation was different as she jumped, her eyes somewhat glossy from focusing for so long.

"Oh?" She said embarrassed.

"What do you got?" He asked softly.

She got up and grabbed the plasma remote, bringing up the massive amounts of documents onto the screen as she revealed all the information that she got from it. Tony got up and folded his arms as he stood next to Gibbs listening to the information she had to share with interest. "Her medical records are clean before she enlisted into the Navy and nothing suggests any violent tendencies. I called the psychologist and he couldn't give much without a warrant, but he said that she does not have a 'violent bone in her body,' I was not sure what that meant."

Tony smirked. "It means he agrees with you, she's not violent." He said and she nodded in understanding. "Was he the one who prescribed the medications?"

"Not all of them. Just the anti-depression medications, she has been taking the same one since 2006." Ziva answered. "I cannot find her medical records after November 27, 2009 when she was discharged from Bethesda, but nothing about the prescription or schizophrenia."

McGee came into the room with a file in his hand. "I can help you with that." He said taking a seat at his computer and pulling up the information on the other plasma screen. "I ran into Ducky and he explained your theory and so I . . . It doesn't really matter what I did to get it."

He pulled up bank records for Shelly Moore and there where sizeable payments to a Doctor Remy Solomon. "I looked into this doctor, who owns his own practice in Norfolk who she saw three times since the birth of her daughter."

"Why was she seeing him?" Asked Tony confused.

McGee smiled and clicked on his keyboard a couple of times. "I think she was trying to hide the postpartum from the Navy, because they would have made her take more time off."

"Shawn Moore said that the medications she was given were not covered by Navy insurance that is why she had to go back, that is why they got into a fight." Ziva said with a frown, her arms crossed and the plasma remote resting against her cheek.

"The Navy insurance didn't cover it because they didn't know she was taking it." Tony added. "Which is probably why she was seeing this guy, the real question is why did she need it?"

The room fell into a slight silence save for a sigh escaping the bosses lips, he was in need for more coffee and it was another moment before he realized that they were waiting for instructions. "DiNozzo with me, we are going to have a little chat with the doctor."

Tony got to his feet, sharing one more look with Ziva as she looked back to the computer screen and as he passed McGee's desk, he stopped to wait for his attention. "Keep an eye on her." He said in a whisper as he followed Gibbs towards the elevator and McGee nodded, glancing over at her before turning back to run a background check on the doctor.

As Tony and Gibbs left, McGee took the job of watcher. It was a wonder how either of them got anything done with trying to keep an eye on her. He would glance and catch himself staring at her, the silence was awkward because she rarely gave him the silent treatment. Each movement from the corner of his eye would make him look up, to the point where he could barely concentrate. "McGee I am fine." She said after a long moment of silence.

He flushed, she caught him and he turned his attention back to the background check. Until he heard the loud clunky footsteps from somewhere in the distance signaled that Abby was on their floor. She walked past his desk to Ziva's, Ziva didn't look up from her work, professionalism be damned. "Ziva?" She asked timidly.

Ziva looked up, her face admirably neutral. "Do you need something, Abby?"

"I just wanted to apologize . . . "The scientist started before she was interrupted by the agent, with an angry glare.

The phone rang from her desk and she held up a finger. "I am very busy right now Abby." Which was a code for 'I do not want anything to do with you,' and slowly the scientist gave McGee a sad smile as she slowly walked back towards him. "That was Gibbs, we need to take Mr. Moore to visit his daughter."

As McGee closed all the documents on his computer he gave Abby a reassuring smile, he looked up and Ziva was already on her way up the stairs to go get the father from the conference room. "She hates me." Abby cried as they watched her disappeared.

"She doesn't hate you." He said placing a hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze. "I will talk to her, but no promises." McGee said, placing his backpack on his back.

"Maybe we should ask Tony. . ." Abby said following him to the elevator.

McGee shook his head and pressed the button. "I don't think Tony will do that." Abby raised her eyebrow. "They were together when I found her, she was asleep in his bed. You do the math, Abby." He said as the doors opened and he stepped inside.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title**: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

**Author:** Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash

**Pairing:** Tony/Ziva

**Rating:** K

**Spoiler:** Pre Jetlag

**Summary:** "Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface." Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

**A/N: ** I have had this written for awhile, but I was away at summer camp and unable to post this. . . I'm working on this one diligently..

The ride to the hospital was quiet and awkward, as Ziva stared out of the window as he drove to the hospital with Shawn Moore in the backseat anxiously waiting to see his daughter. He pulled into the parking spot and groaned as the paparazzi jumped to attention.

With a collective deep breath they all opened their doors and stepped out, surrounded by flashing lights again. They met at the back of the car and McGee guided the stunned man through the crowd.

_Who is this?_

_Is this the Harlow Pier Baby's father?_

_Where is Agent DiNozzo?_

_Is that Thom E. Gemcity?_

The questions flew past them along with the flashes until they reached the door and they didn't breathe until the sliding glass doors shut behind them. The elevator ride was tense as McGee gave her a glance over the other man's head, but she kept her attention on the on the doors and when they opened she led the way towards the room.

She stopped shy of the room holding her hand out for the man to pass her and stayed in the hallway to allow the man the privacy he needed to reunite with the daughter he almost lost. She turned her back to it and McGee took his long awaited talk with the woman. He opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times, unsure how to started the conversation.

The silence made him uncomfortable and she was observant enough to know that he was attempting to talk with her. She was willing to allow him to suffer, but shook her head because he didn't do anything wrong. "Just throw it out, McGee."

"Spit it out." He said and felt slightly better she nodded as she usually did when she considered her mistake. "I want to apologize for earlier. . ."

She shook her head again. "There is nothing to apologize for McGee." She said softly, allowing herself to slide to the floor with against the wall and he followed her suit to the floor, placing his hand on his leg as they sat side by side.

"Yes I do." He said. "I want you to know what Abby said in the lab was untrue."

Ziva looked away. "It is true, McGee but I do not want to talk about it."

"No it isn't true." He cried, turning to face her and feared this conversation was going to get out of control real quickly if he didn't get her to listen quickly. He turned and grabbed her hand in his before he spoke firmly, gaining control of his voice. "You don't want to take about it, but I want to apologize."

She shook her head. "There is nothing to apologize for." Ziva said flatly.

McGee turned to face her, taking her hand in his even though he knew that she would strike him, but he didn't care. "Yes there is, Ziva." He cried and it practically startled the woman, who turned up the defense. "I don't know what Abby is thinking, but I know what she said hurt. It hurt me to hear it, but it isn't true and hell Abby doesn't believe it either. You are the most incredible person I know and you deserve to be happy, if having a baby would make you happy then you should have some. Have a dozen if that is what you want." She took a shaky breath to keep the tears at bay. "You are a good person who is loyal, strong and you have saved more lives than I can't even imagine and you will make the best mother."

It took another shaky breath or four before she composed herself enough to look at him. "You really are a sweet man, Timothy McGee." She said and wrapping her arms around the man, in an awkward on-the-floor hug. It brought a flush to his face, but he squeezed her tightly anyway. After a moment they broke apart, but he kept an arm around her shoulders and sat side by side in a companionable silence until she sniffled. "Thank you."

It made his cheeks flush a deep crimson color again. "It's what friends do, Ziva." He said with a smile, squeezing her shoulders against him. "And about what Abby said. . ."

"I do not want to talk about it anymore." Ziva said climbing back to her feet and slowly enter the room with a soft knock. The father looked up with a smile, tears streaming down his face. "How is she?"

He shifted the baby a little as she whimpered. "I can't believe that. . ." He said setting the baby back in the cot. "I didn't think it really happened until we got here and when I picked her up she opened her eyes, I swear she smiled at me to let me know that she was okay."

She wasn't sure what to say and fumbled over her words until they came out. "She is okay." She answered almost hoarsely and before she knew it Shawn gathered her up tightly into his arms, forcing her to tense up.

"Thank you so much."He whispered against her neck.

Before she could answer him, McGee came into the room and froze. "Uh the boss called, he wants us to go back." He said and Ziva pushed the father away gently. "He said to let Metro watch Mr. Moore."

She nodded and slowly walked away, but not without glancing at the small infant and followed McGee out the door. McGee gave her a look and knew something else was bothering her, but he wasn't sure how to approach her, he was lucky once and couldn't chance it again. He wasn't Tony and he couldn't get her to open up like he could.

He let it go as he led her through the flashing bulbs and into the car.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Author: SplishySplash

Characters: All Cast

Pairing: Tony/Ziva

Spoilers: Pre JetLag

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Mentally she cursed as the cold caught to her and she was running out of breath quickly. Her fingers found the buckle and quickly pulled the baby to her body before she kicked as hard as she could towards the surface. Tony and Ziva become overnight celebrities and it's not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be.

They arrived at NCIS to Gibbs and Tony sitting at their desks with the sun setting from the windows near the bullpen. Ziva disposed of her gun and badge into her desk and sat down, gaining glances from her boss and the man who occupied the space across from her. "Go well?" Gibbs asked as McGee brushed past him to his desk.

The probie nodded. "Yes." He said. "As well as a reunion goes."

"Did the doctor turn up anything?"Ziva asked.

Tony shook his head. "Office is closed on Saturdays." He said, leaning back in his chair. "Note on the door says he is out until Tuesday."

Gibbs stood up and shut the drawer to his desk. "Go home, get some rest." He said out of the blue and disappeared towards the director's office whereas McGee went down towards the lab leaving her alone with Tony.

"You ready?" He asked getting up to gather his things. She nodded as she followed his she followed him towards the elevator. As the doors shut, Tony shifted almost nervously as he thought of way to approach her.

She sighed heavily. "Just choke it out already." She said not looking from the steel doors.

He swallowed a chuckle. "It's spit it out. Do you. . ." Tony started before a sigh of his own escaped his lips. The doors opened and they stepped off side by side, walking slowly towards his car.

"Do I what, Tony?" She asked as they stopped just shy of his passenger door.

Tony's hands grasped her arms, rubbing them gently and forcing a shiver to escape her body. "Do you want to come over to my place? I can make dinner and we can watch a movie." He asked, it wasn't what he wanted to ask, but it was a start.

She stood on her tip toes and pressed a small kiss on his lips. "I would like that, a lot." She whispered as she allowed him to open the door of his car before she climbed inside and he shut the door.

The morning came before Tony was ready for it, Ziva had spent the night again and again she sought his comfort not that he was complaining, but she wouldn't talk about her fight with Abby or taking the dad to the hospital. He woke up in the morning to an empty bed, but he wasn't alone. She stood at the window wearing his shirt from the day before and her arms folded, she watched as the rain fell and didn't hear him get up. "Hey." He said pressing his lips to her neck, bringing goose bumps to her skin.

"Hey." She whispered.

His lips worked her neck as his hands circled her waist, pulling her close. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

She tensed, but didn't move because his lips were coaxing her to give him what he wanted. "Abby wanted to know how I would explain to a child that I am an assassin, that I killed people for a living."

He took a deep breath, he had been working the conversation in his mind since he heard about her fight with Abby. "You are not an assassin any more, Ziva." He said, pressing a kiss on her neck before getting more serious and he turned her to face him. "You explain that you were following orders and that those people were not innocent, that they killed innocent people."

Her gaze fell to the space between them. "What if they were innocent of their crimes?"

His hand brought up her chin. "You were following orders, Ziva." He said softly. "You are the most incredible person I know and you have saved more lives that we will ever know, that is what you should be proud of."

It brought a small smile to her face and rewarded him with a kiss. "How did you get so good at knowing what to say to make me feel better?" She asked when they broke away.

"This is all me baby." He said with a smile, she raised an eyebrow before he grew sheepish and his hand went to the back of his neck. "Gibbs helped. Did it work?"

She nodded with a smile. "Of course." She said with another quick kiss, he deepened and she let him have his way for a moment before she broke it off. "We have to get ready for work."

They arrived to work on time, for Tony but late for Ziva and McGee was typing away at his computer. "Gibbs wants to talk to you two." He said, not turning his attention from the screen and Gibbs brushed passed them.

"With me." He said and led them to his office. They crowded into the small box and he hit the emergency switch, releasing a sigh.

Tony looked at Ziva, but she didn't look back. "What is it boss?" He asked, slightly worried that he was going to yell at them for breaking to rules. It's not like they had 'we are having sex' written on their face, was it?

"The director and the SECNAV would like the two of you to do an interview." He said almost annoyed. "They have set one up for tomorrow afternoon with ZNN."

Ziva shook her head. "No." She answered quickly. "I am not doing an interview."

Tony had to agree, even though it was a dream come true for him to be on TV, he didn't feel like he went above and beyond to need an interview. "I have to agree with Ziva . . ."

Gibbs shrugged. "I am just telling you because the director is not giving you a choice, we will think of something." Gibbs said and Ziva released a breath she was holding. He looked between the two of them and released the emergency break and the doors opened back up, the stopped off and he stood back to watch them. The dynamic was changed and after the conversation with Tony the day before he wasn't bothered by it, Tony struggled to ask him how to help Ziva come to terms with what Abby said that hurt her and he must have used it because he watched as he bumped her off her balance and she punched him in the arm.

He followed them back into the bullpen and sat down at his desk. Tony placed the phone to his ear and nodded a couple of times before he sat it back down. ". . . I'm on my way." He said, getting to his feet. "I will be back, one of the nurses called me back about the doctor."

Gibbs nodded and he rushed out of the door.


End file.
